I know "coger" has very vulgar meaning in Latin America.

1) Should I avoid using this word at all when I'm in Latin America?
2) Or What kind of normal day-to-day situations, do you still use it? Please give some examples.

See a translation

Correctly, Coger is a vulgar word, normally used to refer to the sexual act but Coger can also mean to grab something, hold or take (take a cake with your hands) Example: ¿Puedes COGER el vaso con agua for favor? (Can you take that glass of water please?)

Coger un resfriado ( catch a cold)

but it is not very used to take, catch, pick up, hold or grab something but still you can use. It also depends on the country, in some countries it is used more frequently than in others.

If you are going to use it to refer to the sexual act, you can use it in conversations with friends or your partner. Well, I don't know if you would talk about sex with a stranger in such a normal way but you can also use it but keep in mind that it would sound very vulgar