After being a tourist in many different countries, I now make my home in a place where tourism is a major player in the economy. Seychelles is a dream destination for many, especially Europeans who are more familiar with Indian Ocean islands that most Americans will ever be.

Since I became a seasoned traveler, behaving with respect for locals and attempting to blend into new atmospheres have been important considerations when visiting a country. Now that I am a local, I really appreciate this attitude and am, for the most part, proud of my former demeanor when on the road. Not everyone who travels is as concerned.

I frequently run into what I call the "Disney Warp" in vacationers, and man!, can it be annoying. (Not only annoying, but it must really get in the way of a satisfying holiday experience for the traveler since they miss out on just about anything "real", but I'm usually not too worried about their fun at the point they're bugging me.) Let me describe a scenario where I'm the local, and someone with Disney Warp drops into my world ...

I live in the bush. To get to my house you must take a minor road off a secondary road, then turn up a tiny track, then down a dirt road, where at the end you'll find my house, and nothing else. I have five dogs that don't like strangers. I have two little kids who take naps.

With a wilting regularity, shortly after my kids finally go down for their naps on any given afternoon my dogs will go begin to go ballistic, barking and running up and down and generally creating enough of a racket to guarantee both children will be disturbed and not happy about it. When nothing presents itself as a reason for the doggie frenzy, I'll walk down the drive to the corner of the dirt road, where I'm sure to find a couple of tourists standing nervously shaking sticks at my dogs.

I'll then explain that there's nothing of public interest down here, that the road is not a shortcut to anywhere, that the private property sign means (duh!) Private Property, and that their continued rooting to a spot on my land assures the rest of my afternoon and most of my evening will entail tangling with grumpy kids. Now, if I'm lucky, they'll understand enough English to absorb some of what I've just said. If not, well ... they're either French or Italian.

Whatever ... none of my diatribe will have any effect, no matter what. Why? Because the Disney Warp has them thinking that every person, every place and every thing on this island (or wherever they happen to visit) exists only as a backdrop to their holiday.

I've had tourists ask to see the inside of my house. They've wanted photos of my kids playing, fruit off my trees and my life story. One couple even suggested I put on the coffee and let them enjoy it from my veranda. Some have wanted me to drive them to their hotel, because after walking all the way down my road they're too hot and too tired to go back.

So, how to travel, enjoy yourself, and not have the citizens of the country you visit counting the minutes until your departure?

We're getting to that.

Comments? Questions? Shy? E-mail me ... intladoptionblog@adoptionmail.com