I planned to visit Taiwan in October during the Golden Week holiday. But my parents are strongly against the trip because of safety concerns.

My mother constantly talked about the bus fire in July that killed 26 people and warned me that "Taiwan is full of drunk, unstable, emotional drivers". My father sent me negative news about how mainland tourists were mistreated in Taiwan virtually every day.

I think their concerns were mainly driven by politics. I do not care about politics, and I worry less. But when I receive negative information on a daily basis, I question myself: Is it true? Is it safe? I meant to have fun during the holiday, not to suffer.