From Tom Parsons - Tips On Tipping
Sep-25-2015

Whenever you travel, you are likely to be expected to tip. Depending on your travel plans, tipping can add a little, or a lot, to your vacation expenses.

When you travel the world, there are some countries that don't expect tips. This is one of the reasons we see mandatory gratuities in heavy tourist locations in the U.S., because travelers from those countries aren't used to tipping. Whenever you travel to an international destination, it's a good idea to read up on tipping etiquette before you leave, so you know what is and what is not expected when it comes to tipping.

Whenever you dine out, you should check your bill to see if a tip is included. You often see mandatory tips when there are over five people in your party, but I've had a mandatory tip added when there were only two people in my party. I was in Florida at the time and when I asked why there was a tip included in the bill, the server told me that the restaurant had a lot of international visitors who weren't accustomed to tipping, so they added the mandatory tip. While I have had servers that have circled added tips on the bill to make it very visible, that is not always the case, so you should check the bill no matter where you are dining.

These days a lot of restaurants use computer systems that will calculate a tip and when you swipe your credit card, you typically are given the option of giving a 15, 20 or 25 percent tip. I typically tip 18 percent, unless service is outstanding, or if it's terrible, and if I'm not given the choice of 18 percent, I lower the tip to the automated 15 percent. Restaurants keep finding ways to jack up the tip and if I'm at a self-service or buffet restaurant, I'm not going to tip the minimum automated tip of 15 percent.

When it comes to hotels, there are employees who may expect a tip. When I traveled with my family as a child, my mom always left a few dollars every day for the room cleaner. Today, lots of people skip this, or they leave a tip at the end of the week. If you do it every day you'll know the person who is cleaning your room is getting the tip, but if you wait until the end of your stay, it may be a different employee who gets the entire tip. Some hotels are adding a mandatory tip for room cleaning, so ask about automatic gratuities when you check in so you can avoid tipping twice.

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Posted by Ken at 6:49 PM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print