Tipping on Tours

[aikensbest]

We always leave a tip, unless we are very unhappy with a tour (not often), but generally on tours that we pay $40 to $60 we leave $5. Double if tour price is double . Recently on a roll call folks joining a tour costing about $60 the participants were advised to bring money for a tip, and suggested strongly it should be at least $10 per person.

Any suggestions? I feel this is too much, but certainly glad to pay what most folks feel is right.

[gimletgal]

We always leave a tip, unless we are very unhappy with a tour (not often), but generally on tours that we pay $40 to $60 we leave $5. Double if tour price is double . Recently on a roll call folks joining a tour costing about $60 the participants were advised to bring money for a tip, and suggested strongly it should be at least $10 per person.

Any suggestions? I feel this is too much, but certainly glad to pay what most folks feel is right.

 

You should tip what you are comfortable with, not what someone else feels is an appropriate amount.

[ECCruise]

You should tip what you are comfortable with, not what someone else feels is an appropriate amount.

Totally agree. There is no right or wrong answer, except giving no tip for a tour with which you were pleased.

[prim8keeper]

I agree with the other posters that there is really no right or wrong answer here. Usually I tip like I would at a restaurant. If the tour was just ok I'll tip 10% and if it was excellent I'll tip 20% of the total price. A lot of the time I just tip somewhere in between.

[cruzsnooze]

We always leave a tip, unless we are very unhappy with a tour (not often), but generally on tours that we pay $40 to $60 we leave $5. Double if tour price is double . Recently on a roll call folks joining a tour costing about $60 the participants were advised to bring money for a tip, and suggested strongly it should be at least $10 per person.

Any suggestions? I feel this is too much, but certainly glad to pay what most folks feel is right.

Anything you give is right. If I'm on a ships excursion I do not tip if on a privatly arranged tour i tip according to level of service. it is a subjective issue with no definitive answer.

[jelayne]

We try and follow what is customary for that country be it tipping in a restaurant or a tour guide.

 

We will tip more to a guide and driver on a independent tour with a group of 2-8 than we would on a ships excursion with a bus load of 60.

[dioxide45]

I think it all depends on how much the tour is guided. If it is a boat ride to a beach with no real tour, the tip will be minimal. Perhaps just a buck or two per person to the boat crew. With a guided tour we will tip more for a full day tour vs a half day tour. In the case of a guide with a separate driver, we will tip the driver about half of what we tip the guide. I don't know why, but it is what we do.

[dbsb3233]

While tipping "whatever you feel is appropriate" is certainly true, people still need a general guideline for what's common, so they know how much is really "high" and how much is really "low".

 

I Google the tipping guidelines for whatever country I'm going to. But as a general rule, for a private van tour (like 2-6 tourists), 10% to the tour guide and another 5% to the driver is a common guideline. If it's a big bus with dozens of tourists (like a ship excursion), roughly $2 (US-equivalent) to the guide and $1 to the driver seems pretty common.

[gimletgal]

While tipping "whatever you feel is appropriate" is certainly true, people still need a general guideline for what's common, so they know how much is really "high" and how much is really "low".

 

I Google the tipping guidelines for whatever country I'm going to. But as a general rule, for a private van tour (like 2-6 tourists), 10% to the tour guide and another 5% to the driver is a common guideline. If it's a big bus with dozens of tourists (like a ship excursion), roughly $2 (US-equivalent) to the guide and $1 to the driver seems pretty common.

 

Actually, that is not what I said.............I believe I said:

"You should tip what you are comfortable with, not what someone else feels is an appropriate amount."

 

Guidelines are nice, but if you are not "comfortable" with them, (be it giving more or less) then go with what fits for you.

[4774Papa]

We have toured with people that just don't tip tour guides or bus drivers at all. When I read posts that people tip up to 20% of the tour cost price, I am frankly amazed. Nothing wrong with that, after all it is an individual preference. However, we have been on all day tours that cost $200 pp,, which would entail at tip for two persons of $80. Sorry, that is about one zero more we tip.

 

We generally tip from $5-$10 for a tour for two persons, with $2-$5 for the bus driver.

[Lois R]

Hi...someone on your roll call is "strongly suggesting" that everyone

tips 10.00?:eek:.....sorry, I don't agree. Is this person the "Tip Police"?

Why does the person feel it is their responsibity to inform others what

to tip?

I agree with Beth, I tip what I feel comfortable with....and how is that

person going to know what you leave anyway? Oh, if it is private tour

and the folks are giving their money to one person and that person

is paying the tourguide? Pay them and keep the tip out of it and tip

them on your own. And also, part of it depends on the tour and the

guide.

 

It is really nobody else's business how much you tip.

[keithm]

Hi...someone on your roll call is "strongly suggesting" that everyone

tips 10.00?:eek:.....sorry, I don't agree. Is this person the "Tip Police"?

Why does the person feel it is their responsibity to inform others what

to tip?

I agree with Beth, I tip what I feel comfortable with....and how is that

person going to know what you leave anyway? Oh, if it is private tour

and the folks are giving their money to one person and that person

is paying the tourguide? Pay them and keep the tip out of it and tip

them on your own. And also, part of it depends on the tour and the

guide.

 

It is really nobody else's business how much you tip.

We usually tip the driver $5 PP. The guide(depending how good)$5-10PP. If it's something like a river tubing event (which we love)The driver again $5PP. Usually they have a tip "jar" handy for all the staff that guides you down stream. We usually drop $10 into it. I guess tipping amount is up to the pax taking the trip. Do remember that on these islands(Caribbean)poverty is the norm. Show at least a little generosity. If you can't.....

[dbsb3233]

Actually, that is not what I said.............I believe I said:

"You should tip what you are comfortable with, not what someone else feels is an appropriate amount."

 

Guidelines are nice, but if you are not "comfortable" with them, (be it giving more or less) then go with what fits for you.

I was paraphrasing multiple people's posts. Yes, everyone should be comfortable with what they're tipping. I don't think anyone would suggest tipping an uncomfortable amount.

 

Personally, I think most people are comfortable tipping something in the customary range, as long as the service is good and reasonable. But you need to know the customary range in order to do that. What tends to make people uncomfortable is not having any idea what the customary tipping range.

[curtdesilets]

I usually give $5 per person, so $10 for the 2 of us. And usually another $5 for the driver. If it was an all day tour, perhaps a bit more.

 

They are always appreciative, especially since a lot of passengers are not tipping at all.

[Lois R]

We usually tip the driver $5 PP. The guide(depending how good)$5-10PP. If it's something like a river tubing event (which we love)The driver again $5PP. Usually they have a tip "jar" handy for all the staff that guides you down stream. We usually drop $10 into it. I guess tipping amount is up to the pax taking the trip. Do remember that on these islands(Caribbean)poverty is the norm. Show at least a little generosity. If you can't.....

 

You must have misunderstood my post. I always show generosity and

unless something is horrible, I always tip. I just do not think it is up

to someone else to tell me how much to tip. I travel on my own and

have always tipped what I feel is an appropriate amount.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Lois R

[ghstudio]

On a large tour/ship's tour, we generally give the tour guide $5 a person and make the (hopefully true) assumption that the guide will share tips with the driver. For private tours, we generally tip 10% and we pay for lunch for the guide and driver.

[Lsimon]

You should tip what you are comfortable with, not what someone else feels is an appropriate amount.

 

I agree with the above and that is the best answer.

 

For us the amount varies dramatically based on the service level of the tour guides, the number of people on the tour, and the nature of the tour. I do not tip a flat percentage, or narrow range of percentages, for tours as I do at restaurants.

 

Some tours are little more than a bus ride and we tip very low for those. Some tours have a guide which is very informative and helpful and really make the tour great compared to other guides. We tip pretty high for those.

 

A completely different example is an excursion on a Catamaran day sail: We've done some with 30 or 40 people on board and the crew did very little and received little from us. We've done others with a dozen people on board and the crew was wonderful, served lunch, kept our drink glasses full, and maintained a fantastic atmosphere. We tip that kind of service very highly.

 

But always the amount you tip is a personal decision based on your own customs and belief of what you think is appropriate.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Lsimon

[GoGoJules]

Poverty might be the "norm", but remember that it's also relative. Average pay in Jamaica for example is less than $25USD/week. I was there for quite a while and was living large on $40USD/week. Most places severely slash the costs for locals, and if you're a teacher they'll cut it even further. That said, I tip everyone on a tour anywhere from $2USD to 20%, depending on what they were doing and the level of service. Don't let anyone on your tour act like they have all the answers, or that you're the lifeline between your tour guide and utter destitution. :-)

 

 

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[keithm]

You must have misunderstood my post. I always show generosity and

unless something is horrible, I always tip. I just do not think it is up

to someone else to tell me how much to tip. I travel on my own and

have always tipped what I feel is an appropriate amount.

I was being general, not singling you out. I've seen so many times when no tipping is done & things were great. I always feel that tip what you feel is appropriate. I was saddened to see no one tip the waitstaff that took such great care of us on our Jan.25 trip on Eclipse. I understand the "auto gratuity" & what it means, but the staff busted their butts on that trip & we were more than glad to add extra. We have a catering company & tips do make up a large part of our income.

[keithm]

Poverty might be the "norm", but remember that it's also relative. Average pay in Jamaica for example is less than $25USD/week. I was there for quite a while and was living large on $40USD/week. Most places severely slash the costs for locals, and if you're a teacher they'll cut it even further. That said, I tip everyone on a tour anywhere from $2USD to 20%, depending on what they were doing and the level of service. Don't let anyone on your tour act like they have all the answers, or that you're the lifeline between your tour guide and utter destitution. :-)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

True, but we always take some $$ along for tips. We don't go overboard. Usually about $5 from each of us to our guide/s & the driver.