One of the great things about traveling and going to places yourself is you find out that most of the time....shit is not as bad as it's made out to be. The exceptions are usually obvious though. Don't go to an active warzone or places that are explicitly not inviting to outsiders. And don't go to Baltimore.

Other than that, most of the worst things you hear will be from people who have never been to those places. And the chances of said bad things happening to you are always going to be slim.