

There very well could be a maid who comes in for a couple of hours a day, an off-site person that does the housekeeping so the owner can handle the bookkeeping or other responsibilities. bed and breakfasts? For example, at a small B&B where you’re not sure if there’s a housekeeping staff and you think that the owner may be the person to clean your room, do you still leave a housekeeping tip?Ī: If you don’t know, leave a tip on the side of the bed. Q: Do different rules apply to tipping at hotels vs. And if I have a few cocktails before dinner, I make sure to tip the bartender specifically before I go to my table. But if I order the bottle from my server, that’s the person I tip. If I order a bottle of wine from a sommelier, then I would tip him or her directly. Q: At restaurants, should you base the tip on the total bill (including tax, alcohol, etc.) or just the cost of the meal?Ī: You shouldn’t tip on the tax because who wants to tip on what the government gets? But yes, you do tip on the cost of your meal and any alcohol. So you should only leave a tip in your own currency if you don’t have time to get something else.

By leaving a tip in a non-local currency, you’re giving your service person work to do, and they’ll likely have to pay a fee to change it into their own currency. Run out and grab some change on your lunch break, or visit an ATM. But otherwise, try your best to leave a tip in the currency of that country. Q: When is it okay to tip in anything besides the local currency?Ī: If the choice is that or nothing, then leave the foreign currency. You want to tip afterward to reward good service. You don’t want to bribe for good service. A lot of people think that by flashing a $10, $20 or $50 bill, they’re going to get that kind of service, but the waitstaff we’ve talked to say they find that insulting they’re not going to change the way the restaurant is run just because you’re waving a few bills. The classic is trying to get the maitre d’ to give you a better table. However, the manner in which you give a tip could be insulting. The waitress must be thinking, “Do you know how many hundreds you just dropped?”) (I always wonder if that happens with celebrities - you hear about them leaving an $800 tip on a $2,000 bill. Q: Is there such a thing as overtipping? Could you offend someone by doing so?Ī: I don’t think anyone would be too offended by overtipping, but they might think you’re a little stupid.
#Travel tip of the day how to#
See Tips for Tipping Abroad for more advice on how to tip overseas.

But not tipping at all is probably the worst mistake.Įditor’s Note: Guidebooks and visitors bureaus are also great sources for country-specific tipping information. Usually if you know to tip, you’re tipping around 15 – 20 percent so you know you’ve tipped something, and that’s great. That’s probably the worst tipping mistake. Q: What’s the most common tipping mistake?Ī: To not tip. Lizzie, who is the great-great-granddaughter of the famous manners maven, shares secrets for tipping right every time (and reveals why bribing the maitre d’ won’t get you the best seat in the house). Lizzie Post is an author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute, an organization that promotes etiquette in the U.S. Sure, you know you’re supposed to tip your tour guide something - but how much? When you’re calculating the tip for your dinner, do you need to include taxes and that pricey bottle of wine? And is it ever acceptable to withhold a tip for poor service?įor help, we turned our tipping questions over to an etiquette expert. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else."Įmail Sarah at the most experienced traveler can sometimes be tripped up by tipping etiquette. Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'-Freya Stark"Īisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia." Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories." Follow her on Twitter Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires-no humans or animals were harmed). Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can.
