Travel Tip 68
How much should you tip?
I think tour guides who do a great job should always be tipped but I've been the only one to tip on group tours in Colombia and Chile.
Expectations for tips vary widely around the world.
Many people understand that foreigners misunderstand both local tipping customs and currency value. Still, you still don’t want to risk offending somebody by tipping wrong.
In most countries in the world, bartenders who do a good job should receive a tip - but not everywhere.
Here are my top three tips for how to find out how much to tip.
1. Look for travel articles and blogs about tipping.
For common destinations, somebody has probably already done the work for you. If you’re headed to Europe, check out this article from Lonely Planet. Afar just updated their article about tipping in Mexico. Nerdwallet has a great article about why you shouldn’t tip in Japan. Major travel publications are less likely to have articles about off the beaten track destinations, so that’s when you’ll have to start digging through travel blogs.
Specialized guides, like bird guides, should be tipped well - especially if they are cheerful after getting up at 5am to take you birding.
2. Ask the concierge at your hotel when you arrive.
Your hotel’s concierge can be a wealth of information, as can hosts at AirBnbs and hostels. When you’re asking about tipping, don’t just ask about restaurant servers. Some countries have different expectations for tipping servers, bartenders, tour guides, spa services, hotel housekeeping and even the hotel concierge themselves. Some tips are often a percentage, like at restaurants, while others may be per day, like housekeeping and guides. If only it were more simple!
3. Reach out to people on social media.
Social media gives us access to contact people all over the world directly. Since most travel content creators post endless photos of where they’ve travelled, you can reliably find people who have been to your destination. The more obscure or off the beaten track a destination is, the more likely you’ll only find current information on social media.
We tipped our guide and assistant separately from the tip we left for the rest of the staff at Treehouse Lodge.
Blog
My stay at Treehouse Lodge with my friend Susan had a level of service I’d never experienced before. Each treehouse comes with a private guide and assistant. It was amazing and one of those times when knowing how to tip was essential.
Inclusive experiences, like resorts or my Delfín cruise, often pool tips for the whole staff but you can usually give something directly to one person who gave you excellent service. Always check what the company's tipping policy is.
Article
This was my first (and so far only) luxury cruise and I knew that tipping right was essential. I wrote this for Luxury Latin America, which gives you an idea of who this article’s target audience is. Even if you’re not into luxury travel, it’s fun to see just how extravagant these tours can be.