Tour GuideTip Question

[sydney dog]

I am going on 3 tours in New Orleans and 1 in Key West.  All about 2-3 hours, small groups (under 12 people at most) and all independent tour guides (not through the ship).  It will be just my husband and me.  I know I'm going to get a lot of different responses but what would you tip per person if the tour operator was very good to excellent?

Thanks!!

 

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We'd tip $5 to $10 pp., depending on the length and quality of the tour.

[SPacificbound]

$5 to $10 per person,  depending on your enjoyment of the tours.

[jsn55]

15 hours ago, sydney dog said:

I am going on 3 tours in New Orleans and 1 in Key West.  All about 2-3 hours, small groups (under 12 people at most) and all independent tour guides (not through the ship).  It will be just my husband and me.  I know I'm going to get a lot of different responses but what would you tip per person if the tour operator was very good to excellent?

Thanks!!

 

 

Excellent job:  $10 pp.  Adequate tour:  $5 pp.  Bad or incompetent:  zilch  I never count logistical and other glitches against a good guide, unless it was something they should have fixed.  

[Mum2Mercury]

I agree with the three above posters.  Personally, most of the tours I've taken have been excellent; sub-par guides don't tend to keep their jobs. 

[Turtles06]

The amounts suggested above are good ones. We tend towards the $10pp for the guide. 
 

If there’s a driver (as well as the guide) don’t forget a tip for them as well. 

[jsn55]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:10 AM, Turtles06 said:

The amounts suggested above are good ones. We tend towards the $10pp for the guide. 
 

If there’s a driver (as well as the guide) don’t forget a tip for them as well. 

I have such mixed feelings about tips for people who are just doing their jobs, like drivers and hotel maids.  Unless they do something out of the ordinary (like making a U-turn in the middle of the Champs Elysees to escape a mob of celebrating soccer players) I tend not to tip.  I cannot decide if we are all being brainwashed into giving tips to everyone we meet when travelling, but I suspect it's so.  What do y'all think?

Edited August 8, 2023 by jsn55

[Turtles06]

Just now, jsn55 said:

have such mixed feelings about tips for people who are just doing their jobs, like drivers and hotel maids.

Most people think nothing about handing a porter or bellman a few bucks or more per bag just to stick the bag on a rolling cart and roll it somewhere. And yet the people who are cleaning their hotel rooms, cleaning their toilets, making their beds, taking out the trash, vacuuming, changing the linens, etc. are often overlooked.  Whether we are traveling or not, we recognize that these are difficult and unenviable jobs, and we always tip the housekeepers, and especially well on the final day of a stay, when the entire room has to be turned over.

[eyecantwait]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Most people think nothing about handing a porter or bellman a few bucks or more per bag just to stick the bag on a rolling cart and roll it somewhere. And yet the people who are cleaning their hotel rooms, cleaning their toilets, making their beds, taking out the trash, vacuuming, changing the linens, etc. are often overlooked.  Whether we are traveling or not, we recognize that these are difficult and unenviable jobs, and we always tip the housekeepers, and especially well on the final day of a stay, when the entire room has to be turned over.

Yes! I cleaned hotel rooms at the Jersey shore during the summers (45 years ago) when I was in college and I tip the housekeepers to this day. We didn't get tips often but when we did it really made our days!

[George C]

2 hours ago, eyecantwait said:

Yes! I cleaned hotel rooms at the Jersey shore during the summers (45 years ago) when I was in college and I tip the housekeepers to this day. We didn't get tips often but when we did it really made our days!

On a recent trip upstate New York we left our normal 5 tip each day , one of the housecleaners left us a very nice thank you note.

[Mary229]

I assume around 10%.  So for a group tour take the total price divide by your portion then 10%.  Drivers around 5% 

[mrgabriel]

On 8/8/2023 at 8:45 AM, jsn55 said:

I have such mixed feelings about tips for people who are just doing their jobs, like drivers and hotel maids.  Unless they do something out of the ordinary (like making a U-turn in the middle of the Champs Elysees to escape a mob of celebrating soccer players) I tend not to tip.  I cannot decide if we are all being brainwashed into giving tips to everyone we meet when travelling, but I suspect it's so.  What do y'all think?

People in Europe are more likely paid a living wage. And it has a dramatically different tipping culture. The OP was asking about NOLA and Key West where you can bet a tip is expected and appreciated. 

[mrgabriel]

We tip between $5-$20 depending on the length of the tour and how interesting the guide’s narration was.