A good, quality meter will be safe... but not always more protected from user errors. I think(?) some meters will beep at you if you've got the positive probe connected to the jacks that are used to measure current, but have the controls set to measure something else. However, I just checked my new Fluke 179, and it just beeps at you whenever the control moves to the current measuring positions. In other words, it won't keep you from blowing the fuse, but does remind you to think about how the probes are connected.
The best solution is to develop good habits. Unless you are in the middle of making a current measurement, always keep the probes connected to the voltage terminals.
The meter manufacturers usually design the meters to minimize the chances of errors. For instance, my Flukes go from the "off" position to the AC voltage position, then DC voltage, then low DC voltage, and then ohms. You can hook the probes to any voltage up to 600V without hurting the meter in the AC and DC voltage positions.
Reading the meter's manual always helps too.
There might be an argument for buying a cheap meter, with the thought that if you are going to kill a meter, it might as well be cheap. I think I'd argue for buying a good (but not great) meter, because it is designed to die in a way that doesn't harm the user.
As part of your education, you might find Dave Jone's primer on meters to be helpful....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1n_ELmpFI