Thread: tipping on excursions

Originally Posted by TerilynnS

Kathy- did you tip in American Dolalrs that you had - if you did, was it accepted? Or did you tip in the currency of the country?

We almost always tipped in US currency. Since the Euro became the currency in most European countries, we did tip in Euros. It was easier since we did not have to convert to local currency each time we crossed a border. On extended tours, we always tipped the tour director and bus driver in US Currency at the end of the tour. All of the Caribbean Islands accept US dollars.

If I think it's a good tour the I'll give something like $5. If it's only an ok tour the maybe only $2.

Originally Posted by Suzy Q

Do you tip the bus driver/ tour guide on excursions? If so, how much would you suggest?

Thanks!

We tend to be people that prefer to tip on services rendered rather than a set amount one tip covers all. With that disclaimer out of the way we do have minimums we tip and go from there.

Examples: a steward excorting to our cabin 2.00 usd unless he carries my carry on then its 3 usd.
The porter at the pier 3 bucks a bag

Tour driver/guide that depends on the amount of interaction.. I have had some that did nothing but drive and occasionally would say " look to your left" we tip those types 5usd each if they are very interactive and joke and have a good time the tip increases accordingly.

My question is what is an approprate tip if you hire a private car for the day?

For group tours the recommended tip is $2.50 per person for a half day excrusion (4 hours or less) and $5.00 per person for a full day (5 hours or more).

LuLu

Tipping also needs to depend on the culture as well...

When we were in Russia, we tipped our guide 10% of our bill and the driver, 5% for a 2-day all-day excursion. To tip more than that, we learned from locals, would've provided them with a tip that was WAY more than appropriate for their culture....getting $50 USD for a two-day job was MUCH more than the average wage and many people don't even make $50/week!!!! So we wanted to be respectful of the culture and followed their norms.