Tipping for private tours

[chico gal]

What us the accepted tipping for private tours?

[PSU]

I tip 10 percent.

[orchestrapal]

Ditto, unless we have an exceptional guide then it's 12-15%.:)

[Floridiana]

It depends on the country. No tipping in Australia for example, but they do accept tips.

[pacheco18]

If the guide is great we usually tip 10% -- less for a less than stellar guide but that rarely happens since we research everything so thoroughly to avoid disappointment.

 

We also factor in whether the guide is in business for himself or works for a company. If the former, we might tip a bit less since the guide is keeping all the money from the excursion.

[JAKUEHNLE]

chico gal are you a mind reader? ;) I was going to post the same question today! Thanks for starting the thread. My question was about tipping the guide and driver on a private (Custom) two day tour in St. Petersburg with DanRus tours. Since the other ship tours will have 20 - 30 people on a bus, and we will only be 4, would 10% + be proper for the guide and driver to share?

John

[cruisecountess]

On full day private tours, we tip between 10 and 15%. Additionally, we treat the guide and driver to lunch. "Breaking bread" with them creates an atmosphere of touring with friends and we gain many insights about them and their culture. We always request eating at a local restaurant. In St. Petersburg DH and I were the only English speaking patrons in the restaurant. The guide ordered for us.

Harriet

[hondorner]

...Additionally, we treat the guide and driver to lunch.

Tried several times to do this, only to be told, in a somewhat embarrassed tone, "Uhh - the guides usually are comped by the restaurant..." If you depend on the guiide to recommend the eating spot, I can almost guarantee they are covered as a thank-you from the restaurant.

[cruisecountess]

Gee, we've never experienced that. True, we sometimes select the restaurants we want to try, but even when the guide has chosen, as was the case on one of two days in St. Petersburg, no one admitted to being comped. We treated the driver as well. But, now that you mention it, a couple of our guides in New Zealand declined being treated; and one guide even treated our group of ten to ice cream.

Harriet

[Hambagahle]

Normally if a guide has a large group his or her meal is offered free by the restaurant. But 4 people doesn't qualify as this, and the guide and driver will have to pay. So taking them - or at least the guide, normally not the driver unless you really like him or her - to lunch is nice. And asking them to recommend the restaurant also makes great sense. On top of that we (Europeans) normally tip 10-15% minimum, more if the gudie has been great.

[hondorner]

The most recent experience was Ephesus a couple of weeks ago; the driver disappeard (to watch over his van, chat with the other drivers and/or have a cigarette -- happens frequently) but the guide, Muge, ate with the 6 of us. I offered to pay for hers, but she said it was free for her. It was a small place -- advertsing the best meatballs in Selcuk. Another I recall was in Valparaiso, on the way to Santiago, just the 2 of us plus the guide and driver. Again, the driver disappeared (typical) and we offered to share table with the guide and buy his lunch, but he said there was a special section for the guides where they ate free.

 

There have been others I can't remember specifically; we always offer but guides have rarely accepted. Maybe we smell funny or something...:rolleyes:

[Glenndale]

Gee, we've never experienced that. True, we sometimes select the restaurants we want to try, but even when the guide has chosen, as was the case on one of two days in St. Petersburg, no one admitted to being comped. We treated the driver as well. But, now that you mention it, a couple of our guides in New Zealand declined being treated; and one guide even treated our group of ten to ice cream.

Harriet

Yes, our guide in Tauranga did the same. I wonder if it was the same ice cream stall :)