My friend was just about to leave for a trip to Argentina and was asking me about tipping there. Her questions got me thinking about tipping practices around the world and even here in the U.S. I think I have tipping in the U.S. down but, there are a few situations where I still wonder if I need to tip or if I have tipped enough. For example, when you order to-go food; do you tip a percentage of the check or do you tip a few dollars? I was doing some research on this when I came across this awesome guideline cheatsheet on Foder’s Travel. You might want to also browse the actual article because it highlights many different countries and the tipping customs for each, which I found very handy.
Are You A Good Tipper?
Bottom Line
What services do you think require a tip? Do you tip even if the service is bad? Please share in the comments; how much do you tip? Do you agree with this guideline cheatsheet?
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook |
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
I find this whole thing to be out of control personally. I don’t tip for half of this stuff.
I pretend I’m not American when I travel abroad.
This tipping disease is very American (I mean US and Canada) and borders on “begging”. I find it refreshing to travel in Australia where a tip is not (yet?) treated as an entitlement by whoever provides the service.
I hate tipping unless I get really good service.
I’ve been tipping the airport baggage guys $1 per bag for the past 30 years. At what point do they get a cost of living increase?
When I travel to countries where people are not that well off or in countries that have no social support, especially for older people I leave a little something for almost everyone I come into contact with that provides any sort of assistance or service. I give a little bit of money to street beggars in certain counties as long as they are not holding babies and I do not give to children. Compared to a lot of countries we in the USA are incredibly fortunate and it’s good to help out a little sometimes.
I don’t have an all-encompassing view on this issue.
But I was appalled to be in Vegas as a show let out. All departing attendees stood in line to pay the bellman $1 or more for him to open the door to the queued taxi. No added value whatsoever (well, crowd control perhaps). Hundreds of people attended the show.
I just don’t get it. There are real, deserving people in the workforce. This wasn’t right.
I think I tend to be a reasonable tipper when tips are expected (and by expected I mean that workers get a lower wage because they will get tipped, like in restaurants) or when someone does something out of the ordinary for me. But for the maid? I expect that the hotel can give a dollar or two from my 100-200 $ a night to her. For a toilet attendant? I don’t need you. I can perfectly take a sheet of paper myself. For room service when the service charge has been added? Nope.
I also think that tipping has become out of control. Tips are expected for everything now. Even if the service is bad. In my opinion, tips should be for when the service has been good or really good. And even if you rely on tips because your hourly wage is less, like waitresses in restaurants, I think that a tip should not be handed out if the service wasn’t good.
I had an experience recently where a cab driver spoke on the phone the whole time from LGA to Manhattan, near Times Square. Not only was he speaking loud, but he had his phone on speaker the whole time! And we were 4 in the cab so one of us was sitting in front, beside him… I usually tip cab drivers, but not this one…!
I like to tip because it is way of supporting the working poor (housekeepers, etc). It is like saying thank you for working and not collecting welfare because in my mind they could make nearly as much living off the state.
We have also instituted a holiday tipping practice. If we are out and about on a holiday like Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. our waiter, or housekeeper or whoever gets a $20 bill handed to them for working a holiday. In fact we just did this Sunday. We gave the young lady that brought our drinks at the casino buffet $20. She knew she did nothing, and she actually gave me an unprovoked lecture how she celebrated Passover and not Easter. Whatever, she acted like a butt, but she was still there on a holiday and she is part of my charity. I realize some of these people get overtime on a holiday, but a lot of them get strong armed into working when they would like to spend the day with family.
Oh yea, Marc commenter above me who does not tip the housekeeper …hide your toothbrush before you leave your room:)
I tip well only at places that I frequent — like my neighborhood bar where I know the bartender; hairstylist who I go to every month, waitress at my local diner, etc.
I rarely tip over $3 for a cab driver who I will most likely never see again (it’s rare for the cab driver to go outside to help me with my bags since I’m perfectly able to put them in the trunk.)
Tipping is out of control. Let me first say i am a good tipper, but we’re does it stop. For me working at local Hardwares store for over 20 years. Not making anymore money and hour then a maid, doorman, valet… I have helped MANY people get of trouble, shared my knowledge and made peoples life’s much easier. I have given up my nights weekends to serve others. Why don’t I get tipped. (I don’t expect anyone too) but where does it stop. In my view I give the same service as any of the above and I am fine without tips. So why are we expected and heald morally responsible to tip anyone?
I’m from the UK, where generally you tip at the end of a meal, and that’s it. Occasionally you’ll get a tip as a delivery driver, say for takeaway or pizza places, but there’s not much else you’d tip for. We also have higher base wages in the UK, so tips aren’t very important, they’re just a bonus.
The way I look at it is: Do I feel I’ve underpaid for what I’ve received? If I would have happily paid more for something, I will give a tip. If I feel I’ve paid what I’d expect, no tip, and I will complain if I feel I’ve overpaid and something wasn’t right.