Tipping on Vacation — How Much, to Whom, and Why
A few months ago, I had a curiosity and launched a challenge to my readers and travel enthusiasts to answer a few questions about tipping on vacation.
Do we tip on vacation? If yes, to whom, how much, and especially why? If we don’t, what would be the reason for not doing so?
I was surprised to see that out of over 100 people who responded to the challenge, only 7 said they never leave a tip. Some believe that if they have paid for an All-Inclusive stay, tipping is not justified.
Others said that their vacation budget is quite limited and such an expense would strongly unbalance it. There were also people who admitted they don’t tip out of principle.
Why do we tip on vacation? Everyone else agreed that tipping on vacation is natural, an act of generosity, a way to reward good service.
From experience, I can tell you that many service workers depend on tips. They are seasonally employed and their earnings (insufficient most of the time) have to support them until the next season when they will be hired again. If their income were limited to salary, it wouldn’t be easy for them.
Tipping on vacation. Who gets it? First and foremost, waiters lead the top of those rewarded. In a way, it is quite natural. Like it or not, on vacation, you have to eat. True, there is street food, some accommodation units provide complete meal services or the possibility to prepare your own breakfast or a light dinner.
However, nothing quite compares to a meal at a restaurant or a family-run taverna. In the vacations I’ve spent in Greece, I’ve noticed that waiters don’t keep the tips. They collect them in a box and, at closing, share them with everyone in the taverna: the cook, the dishwasher, and other unseen employees.
Taxi drivers also enjoy the attention of tourists. If we don’t travel by personal car and public transport isn’t great, we use taxi services for transfers to/from the airport, station, or port, and for shorter or longer trips at the destination.
I had a vacation where the taxi was the only means of transport I could use. The taxi drivers helped me with transportation and tourist information. If you get a taxi driver passionate about his job, you learn interesting things and stories not written in travel guides.
In the questionnaire responses, I discovered a category very dear to me: guides.
Especially in big cities, there are plenty of free walking tours. For two to three hours, enthusiastic young volunteers lead larger or smaller groups of tourists and help them familiarize themselves with the main tourist attractions.
From them, you can also learn a lot of useful information, the stories behind various attractions, and tips to make your vacation wonderful. In such a tour, only the tip can reward their effort and help them continue what they do.
Don’t think that receptionists, housekeepers, or bartenders were forgotten.
Also, on organized excursions, cruises, and generally anywhere I see a tip box, I leave a small tip that will be shared among all those who contributed to a pleasant service.
How much should the tip be on vacation? When calculating the vacation budget, it’s good to also consider the tip we will leave. Personally, I think it should be treated as a regular expense.
If the service involves a bill, there are two options. Either we round up the amount or calculate a percentage. The most popular percentage is 10% of the bill.
Many years ago I asked on a foreign forum what the practice was and if 10% was enough. One of the responses was as amusing as it was eloquent: 10% is good, 15% is more than good, and from 20% upwards, you might receive a marriage proposal.
For free tours, we need to consider a fixed amount. We can’t apply a percentage or round up the bill. I set aside between 5 and 15 euros and adjust based on the group size.
Usually, free walking tours are done with a maximum of 15–20 participants. If the group is full, the amount tends towards the minimum. If the group is not that large, I increase the amount I leave for the guide.
Other forms of tipping besides rest and relaxation, a vacation is also an opportunity for cultural interaction. We discover new cultures and customs, and those we visit have the opportunity to learn about our culture and customs.
Often, to reward the hospitality of the hosts, I have brought gifts that reflect the place I come from. Thus, instead of a monetary tip, I have offered various gifts.
How do you handle tipping on vacation?
