To Tip or not to Tip?

Have you ever experienced one of those awkward moments where you are ready to say ‘thank you’ but have a hopeful looking staff member in front of you with palms out and up? You riffle through your pockets but you have no loose change and end up throwing them a paper tip rather than a coin one?

Well you are not alone in this dilemma, it is one that most travellers face; as-well as the question of is it acceptable to tip or not?

Top Tipping Countries:

USA – The amount to tip normally ranges from 10-20%, depending on how happy you were with the overall service and experience. It is worth a quick check of the bill before you tip as some restaurants may have already added a service charge onto the bill. Tipping hotel staff can vary by the service they are providing, for example, you can tip the bartender $1-2 per drink, or you can start with a generous $5 tip after the first drink so that they remember what it is your drinking and have one ready and waiting before, the one you have has run dry!

France – Tourists are given a helping hand when tipping in restaurants and bars in France as they do include this in your final bill. The words ‘service compris’ will show an amount of 15% added, however, another small ‘thank you’ tip is always very welcome. The amount would be depending on the type of place you were dinning; a riverside restaurant with candle light tables may be expecting a few more Euros than a small family run restaurant along a quaint side street.

Spain – Hotel staff in Spain would look for anything from €1 to €5 for bringing bags to your room or looking after you at the bar; but, the restaurants in Spain also build in the tip to your final bill. However, here it is also polite, and expected, to give an additional 5-10% tip to the staff and they like this in cash. Credit card payments are no good as tips for the staff!

As a nation it is said that the Germans are the best tippers, but I wonder, do they also tip when in Germany as much as they do when they are on holiday?

Happy tipping!