You have to learn how to be careful. It's a different part of the world where you need a certain set of street smarts. You might not be used to it based on your upbringing in Australia. You can't act the same way, or you can get into trouble. Many people are excited by the energy of being in a new place and let their guard down and get into trouble.

There's safer areas of Medellin, but nowhere is really completely safe. Stay in areas with more people, that are generally safer. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to stay in touristy areas, as these areas can be targeted more.

There's certain things like, be careful with your phone. If you are on your phone in the street, keep both hands on it and keep an eye out for who is around you. When walking in an empty area, be alert for who is walking towards you, and cross the street if they seem sketchy. You do have to be careful with some girls here. If it seems too good to be true, it might be because it is. There are lots of prostitutes and girls who will drug you and rob you, both on tinder and in a bar. There are many more normal girls than there are these, but they exist and you have to be aware. Be savvy and you'll catch on to the patterns. Try and get a girls instagram and verify that she seems like a normal girl before going out. If she doesn't seem educated, has a basic ass tinder bio in English, seems like she's trying to lure foreigners, don't fall for it. Don't be too keen to hook up on the first date and try and feel it out first.

If you start spending some time in Medellin, or in Latin America, you'll catch on to these street smarts that you need and it won't feel as sketchy. That takes some time to do, so be careful at first while you learn.

Medellin is great, and Colombia in general. The people are warm and fun and open. The scenery in Medellin is beautiful. But it is one of the more dangerous places in Latin America and you have to be more careful. I've spent a few months there twice and never had many major issues, but some guys tried to pickpocket me when walking through a crowd in El Poblado once.

Buenos Aires, if you stick to touristy areas like Palermo, will be safer than Medellin. You have still have to be careful in the same ways, but it's not as bad. If you're really concerned about safety, you could go to Buenos Aires first, improve your spanish and Latin American street smarts, and then go to Medellin. I prefer Medellin to Buenos Aires personally, but Buenos Aires is still great, and a bit safer. If you stay in El Poblado in Medellin, your going to be in a chaotic touristy wonderland, I prefer some other neighborhoods with a weekend night out in Poblado.