Experts in the space transportation field, including NASA, SpaceX, and other agencies/companies alike are taking the idea of sending humans to Mars very seriously. Many estimates have suggested that we'll have humans stepping on the Martian surface within 10-100 years with the current rate of space technology.
While there are some concerns about living on Mars and its feasibility, safety is always considered by the experts at NASA before any baby steps are taken; similar steps were taken for our first landing on the Moon, but Mars is a little bit different considering it would take almost half of a year to get there.
If you were to travel to Mars, there would be a few things to consider, like the G-forces behind the powerful rocket launch required to get you into deep space, the solar radiation you would be subjected to from leaving Earth's atmosphere, and potential health concerns from pressure changes and the micro-gravitational environment.
Once on Mars, you'll experience temperatures and atmospheric conditions very different from Earth, and you wouldn't be protected from the Sun's harmful radiation, so you would need a protective habitat, as well as a space suit that protected you from these sorts of things.
Living on Mars won't be an easy task, but to move mankind's understanding of the red planet further, astronauts will soon go about it; perhaps in your lifetime. It should be interesting to see how the first steps are taken and how it will play out when the time finally does come.
