Well, I'm going to be REALLY radical. I make lots of trips...unarmed.
Oh golly! Guess I'm just a sheep.
I spent 25 years in the military. I wasn't allowed to carry on base. I wasn't allowed to take a gun with me to carry around on my overseas tours, which were about 1/3 of my career. About half of my trips into town involve a swing past the military base, where I'm not allowed to carry a gun with me - even in the car. How did I get old without carrying a gun with me 24/7?
For starters, I assess risk. There may be more murders than lightening strikes, but those murders are highly concentrated in specific urban areas. Thankfully, I don't spend much time in those areas. I have no desire to go bar hopping downtown on Friday & Saturday night. If I DO need to go into higher risk areas, I carry. I carry when I go hiking, thanks to the US government's total failure to control the border. If you live in a hell-hole, be prepared to meet the devil. Happily, I'm old enough to choose to NOT live in a hell-hole.
Is a 38 enough bullet? Well, you can shoot the BG in the heart with a 44 magnum, but he'll have enough blood left in his head to shoot back for 10-20 seconds. I like 44 mags, but they aren't a shield against BG weapons. You have no guarantee of a 1 shot stop with your handgun. Ever. That said, a well placed 38 bullet will do about as much as you can hope for. So assuming you shoot it well, and don't lose your nerve, you'll do about as well as you can. If you stand there trading shots with your mega-9mms, maybe he will die, but you aren't going to be in great shape either.
Every thinking person plays the odds. You would be safer driving a monster vehicle than a motorcycle, but lots of folks choose to ride motorcycles. I ride horses, which statistically is more dangerous than riding a motorcycle. Look at your odds, and then decide what risk you are willing to accept - because life doesn't have a no risk option. And at my age, I don't go a lot of places where a 5-shot 38 wouldn't suffice. If I'm worried, I'll step up to a 7 shot 357. If the odds are worse than that, I won't go. YMMV.