Your Guide to Tipping While Traveling: From Cruises to Taxis
Wanted: Tipping Strategies
The word "tip" is an acronym for the words "to insure promptness." The idea, developed many decades ago, was that slipping a service provider some cash would inspire better service.
Many travelers contend that great service should be part of the escalating prices for eating in a restaurant, sailing on a cruise ship or even riding in a taxicab. But many pay structures in the service industry are set up as if tips are a sure thing.
In other words, there are places where the person serving you will not get paid if you don't leave a tip.
Arguments about the morality of such pay structures are not appropriate for this forum. The idea here is to consider how to tip fairly without overpaying or rewarding mediocre service. Much of that strategy is up to the individual traveler, of course, but there are a few guidelines to consider as we think about budget travel tipping strategies.
On the next few pages, you'll find thoughts about tipping in restaurants, on cruise ships, international tipping, tipping at the airport, and gratuities in hotels and taxis.
Let's start with the most common tipping venue -- the restaurant.
Tipping in Restaurants
In most of North America, a standard tip for the wait staff is 15-20 percent of the total bill.
Many establishments will charge a mandatory service fee for parties of a certain size -- six diners in one party is often the point at which these fees take effect. This fee amounts to a standard tip, frequently 18 percent.
You are welcome to leave an additional tip for outstanding service in these situations, but many budget travelers fail to study their bill and add another 15-20 percent tip on top of this mandatory fee.
Always watch for this charge. It should be pointed out clearly on the bill.
If the standard is 15-20 percent, how does one tip (if at all) for exceptionally bad service?
Before you're tempted to leave nothing, consider the fact that wait staff frequently earn low hourly wages. They're paid less per hour than the people washing dishes or cooking food. But they can keep the tips.
For bad service, consider leaving 5-10 percent and mentioning to the management that you have some concerns about how you were treated. In this situation, you are likely to be heard. If you leave nothing, your legitimate complaints will be ignored as if they came from someone who was inconsiderate, cheap and mean-spirited.
Tipping on Cruises
As with restaurant waiters and waitresses, cruise employees derive much of their income from gratuities. Typically, the people who serve in dining rooms and the folks who clean your cabin are heavily dependent on your generosity.
Because this is true, you'll often receive a lecture in cruise orientations about leaving a nice tip. Most cruise lines add an automatic gratuity to your on-board spending bill.
Although you are free to adjust it, they know most people make no such changes.
The standard tip is about $10-15/day per passenger for the dining room staff and the cabin stewards. But other ship personnel are not covered in this tipping. Bartenders may be tipped as the service is rendered.
On most shipboard spas, a service charge of 15-20 percent is automatically added to the bill. Check for the charge and don't tip any additional money unless you feel it warranted.
International Tipping
As you might imagine, tipping practices vary widely. In some cultures, there is no tipping. But much of the world will add a small service charge to your bill -- typically 10 percent of the total tab.
In Europe, for example, service charges and taxes are already added to the prices you'll see on the menu. But it's often polite for patrons to round up their payment to the next euro, leaving some change behind as an added token of their appreciation.
The same is true in much of the Africa and the Middle East, where a 10 percent service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills. But small tips in addition to these charges are accepted.
The Caribbean resorts add service fees, as do most of the places you'll visit in Central and South America. But adding some pocket change in addition to the fee -- if the service was excellent -- is an accepted, common practice.
It pays to read up on restaurant tipping at your destination.
Tipping at the Airport
At most North American airports, it is customary to tip $2-$5 per bag to a skycap who will direct your luggage to your airline of choice. Good judgment is important here. If your bags are large or heavy, a bigger tip is appropriate. Of course, good budget travelers practice lightweight travel, using one bag as a carry-on to avoid hefty baggage fees.
It is also customary to slip a few dollars to an airport shuttle driver who drops you off at the appropriate point outside the terminal and removes your bags from the cargo hold.
As with some of the other service jobs mentioned here, the shuttle drivers often receive relatively low pay and depend upon tips to make the work worthwhile for them.
Hotel Tipping
Hotel tipping practices are difficult to pin down with a few guidelines. In some extremely high-class hotels, the concierge is well-paid and might even be required to refuse a gratuity. In other places with the same level of comfort, a concierge will be expecting a tip for many services.
The best advice is to reward a concierge if he or she goes beyond your expectations.
In mid-range hotels with a concierge, tipping is less common.
If you ask for simple directions or for a dining recommendation in the neighborhood, few would expect a tip. But those who make phone calls and snag the last pair of tickets to the game or the opera should be rewarded accordingly.
Bell staff and porters receive $1-$2 per bag. Valet parking attendants receive about the same. Be careful about tipping for room service, since the gratuity is usually added into your bill.
What about the housekeeping staff? Most people do not leave tips for the people who assure cleanliness and comfort in the room. But such gratuities are often warranted and certainly appreciated. If you'll be staying multiple nights, and the room is in good order each day, $2-$4/day per person is a good tip. For one night in a highway motel, most people do not leave a tip.
Budget travelers typically don't take taxis. It's much more economical to use public transportation, especially in cities where these systems are highly developed.
But there are always times when it's safer to catch a cab. In a new and unfamiliar city, the initial taxi ride can provide an education for getting around later on foot or with the help of public transportation.
Adding a few dollars to a taxi tab is fairly common.
Tipping a percentage of the total tab for longer fares is also a frequent practice. A driver who fights 40 minutes of rush-hour traffic to get you to the airport on time is certainly entitled to a higher-percentage tip than a driver who takes you a few blocks under average driving conditions.
As with shuttle operators, add a dollar or two if the driver helps with the baggage.
In big cities, many drivers work for an owner who collects the fares. The driver keeps a small percentage of that revenue plus whatever tips are given. Gratuities are appreciated.
But no one should tip automatically. If the driver performs below your expectations, your tipping obligations decrease accordingly.
On booked tours, a gratuity is built into the cost of the trip.
But as you travel, you'll find many of the drivers and tour guides with which you work deserve some added consideration.
Such was the case with the driver you see pictured here. Each night for more than a week, he would carry everyone's luggage into the hotel lobby, and stow it back in the cargo hold the next morning. In addition, he would navigate narrow streets to give us the best views or to save us a few steps.
The tour guide answered questions throughout the day in addition to his regular duties.
On this trip, the group decided additional tips were appropriate and well-earned.
What is an adequate tip? Some recommend $3-$10 per day for both the driver and for the tour guide. Find out how much is already built into the cost of the trip and add accordingly.
The word "tip" is an acronym for the words "to insure promptness." The idea, developed many decades ago, was that slipping a service provider some cash would inspire better service.
Many travelers contend that great service should be part of the escalating prices for eating in a restaurant, sailing on a cruise ship or even riding in a taxicab. But many pay structures in the service industry are set up as if tips are a sure thing.
In other words, there are places where the person serving you will not get paid if you don't leave a tip.
Arguments about the morality of such pay structures are not appropriate for this forum. The idea here is to consider how to tip fairly without overpaying or rewarding mediocre service. Much of that strategy is up to the individual traveler, of course, but there are a few guidelines to consider as we think about budget travel tipping strategies.
On the next few pages, you'll find thoughts about tipping in restaurants, on cruise ships, international tipping, tipping at the airport, and gratuities in hotels and taxis.
Let's start with the most common tipping venue -- the restaurant.
Tipping in Restaurants
In most of North America, a standard tip for the wait staff is 15-20 percent of the total bill.
Many establishments will charge a mandatory service fee for parties of a certain size -- six diners in one party is often the point at which these fees take effect. This fee amounts to a standard tip, frequently 18 percent.
You are welcome to leave an additional tip for outstanding service in these situations, but many budget travelers fail to study their bill and add another 15-20 percent tip on top of this mandatory fee.
Always watch for this charge. It should be pointed out clearly on the bill.
If the standard is 15-20 percent, how does one tip (if at all) for exceptionally bad service?
Before you're tempted to leave nothing, consider the fact that wait staff frequently earn low hourly wages. They're paid less per hour than the people washing dishes or cooking food. But they can keep the tips.
For bad service, consider leaving 5-10 percent and mentioning to the management that you have some concerns about how you were treated. In this situation, you are likely to be heard. If you leave nothing, your legitimate complaints will be ignored as if they came from someone who was inconsiderate, cheap and mean-spirited.
Tipping on Cruises
As with restaurant waiters and waitresses, cruise employees derive much of their income from gratuities. Typically, the people who serve in dining rooms and the folks who clean your cabin are heavily dependent on your generosity.
Because this is true, you'll often receive a lecture in cruise orientations about leaving a nice tip. Most cruise lines add an automatic gratuity to your on-board spending bill.
Although you are free to adjust it, they know most people make no such changes.
The standard tip is about $10-15/day per passenger for the dining room staff and the cabin stewards. But other ship personnel are not covered in this tipping. Bartenders may be tipped as the service is rendered.
On most shipboard spas, a service charge of 15-20 percent is automatically added to the bill. Check for the charge and don't tip any additional money unless you feel it warranted.
International Tipping
As you might imagine, tipping practices vary widely. In some cultures, there is no tipping. But much of the world will add a small service charge to your bill -- typically 10 percent of the total tab.
In Europe, for example, service charges and taxes are already added to the prices you'll see on the menu. But it's often polite for patrons to round up their payment to the next euro, leaving some change behind as an added token of their appreciation.
The same is true in much of the Africa and the Middle East, where a 10 percent service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills. But small tips in addition to these charges are accepted.
The Caribbean resorts add service fees, as do most of the places you'll visit in Central and South America. But adding some pocket change in addition to the fee -- if the service was excellent -- is an accepted, common practice.
It pays to read up on restaurant tipping at your destination.
Tipping at the Airport
At most North American airports, it is customary to tip $2-$5 per bag to a skycap who will direct your luggage to your airline of choice. Good judgment is important here. If your bags are large or heavy, a bigger tip is appropriate. Of course, good budget travelers practice lightweight travel, using one bag as a carry-on to avoid hefty baggage fees.
It is also customary to slip a few dollars to an airport shuttle driver who drops you off at the appropriate point outside the terminal and removes your bags from the cargo hold.
As with some of the other service jobs mentioned here, the shuttle drivers often receive relatively low pay and depend upon tips to make the work worthwhile for them.
Hotel Tipping
Hotel tipping practices are difficult to pin down with a few guidelines. In some extremely high-class hotels, the concierge is well-paid and might even be required to refuse a gratuity. In other places with the same level of comfort, a concierge will be expecting a tip for many services.
The best advice is to reward a concierge if he or she goes beyond your expectations.
In mid-range hotels with a concierge, tipping is less common.
If you ask for simple directions or for a dining recommendation in the neighborhood, few would expect a tip. But those who make phone calls and snag the last pair of tickets to the game or the opera should be rewarded accordingly.
Bell staff and porters receive $1-$2 per bag. Valet parking attendants receive about the same. Be careful about tipping for room service, since the gratuity is usually added into your bill.
What about the housekeeping staff? Most people do not leave tips for the people who assure cleanliness and comfort in the room. But such gratuities are often warranted and certainly appreciated. If you'll be staying multiple nights, and the room is in good order each day, $2-$4/day per person is a good tip. For one night in a highway motel, most people do not leave a tip.
Budget travelers typically don't take taxis. It's much more economical to use public transportation, especially in cities where these systems are highly developed.
But there are always times when it's safer to catch a cab. In a new and unfamiliar city, the initial taxi ride can provide an education for getting around later on foot or with the help of public transportation.
Adding a few dollars to a taxi tab is fairly common.
Tipping a percentage of the total tab for longer fares is also a frequent practice. A driver who fights 40 minutes of rush-hour traffic to get you to the airport on time is certainly entitled to a higher-percentage tip than a driver who takes you a few blocks under average driving conditions.
As with shuttle operators, add a dollar or two if the driver helps with the baggage.
In big cities, many drivers work for an owner who collects the fares. The driver keeps a small percentage of that revenue plus whatever tips are given. Gratuities are appreciated.
But no one should tip automatically. If the driver performs below your expectations, your tipping obligations decrease accordingly.
On booked tours, a gratuity is built into the cost of the trip.
But as you travel, you'll find many of the drivers and tour guides with which you work deserve some added consideration.
Such was the case with the driver you see pictured here. Each night for more than a week, he would carry everyone's luggage into the hotel lobby, and stow it back in the cargo hold the next morning. In addition, he would navigate narrow streets to give us the best views or to save us a few steps.
The tour guide answered questions throughout the day in addition to his regular duties.
On this trip, the group decided additional tips were appropriate and well-earned.
What is an adequate tip? Some recommend $3-$10 per day for both the driver and for the tour guide. Find out how much is already built into the cost of the trip and add accordingly.
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