5 Tips For Tipping – Your Vacation Gratuity Guide
Tipping can be a bit taboo while you’re traveling, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are my top tips on how to make sure you’ve got gratuity down while you’re on a trip. By the way, tipping is something we help with when planning and budgeting for a trip! We’ll give you a comprehensive tipping guide and even tell you how much cash to pull out for your vacation.
Do some research before you travel. You can find out quickly and easily by searching “tipping in [ insert location you’re traveling to ]” on Google to see what’s standard if you plan to go abroad. Different cultures have different views on gratuity, so it’s good to do some quick research on your own before you go.
Have cash - and small bills - ready. If you have a travel plan in place, you can make a list of how you plan to tip during your tip. Here’s a quick breakdown of
Bellman: $3 - $5 per bag
Valet: $3-$5
Housekeeping: $5 / Day
Concierge: Simple dinner reservations and show tickets / arrangements about $5-$10 but if it’s a sold out show/ moved something around for you… please include more!
Spa Therapists: 15-20%
Restaurant servers: Depend on the country, bt 15-20% is standard in most places
Bartenders: $2-$3 per drink
Private Driver: 10%- 15% of the fare
Have a good idea of the exchange rate. This is helpful to know so you aren’t tipping too much or too little. If math isn’t your strong suit, download an exchange rate calculator on your phone before you go or keep a note in your phone for quick and easy reference.
Ask your concierge. If you’re going on a day trip or have plans outside of your lodging, you can ask your concierge what is normal for gratuity while you’re out on your excursion.
Don’t forget thank you notes! We love to suggest bringing a few blank thank you notes to leave for the staff too especially if the service was exceptional.