Etiquette Today: Travel Tipping
With school vacations coming up we thought an article on travel tipping was a good idea!
Travel Tipping Guide
While you’re getting away on your getaway, it’s important not to get so far away that you forget to tip. Budgeting for tipping is a way to ensure you’re not caught without the cash to provide the appropriate tip. We’ll get straight to it with today’s etiquette article and give you our travel tipping guide.
Airport/hotel shuttle
$1 to $2 per bag
Tip if they help you; if they don't, it's discretionary.
Bellhop
$1 to $2 per bag, or $2 to $5 for bag storage
Bus driver
City transportation isn’t usually tipped.
If a long trip bus driver or airport/hotel shuttle driver helps you with luggage, $1 to $2 per bag
Cruise ships
Many types of crew members are tipped on cruises. On average, it ranges from $10 to $15 per day for room and restaurant staff combined
Often the ship's informational packet lists whom to tip and standard amounts. This should be taken into account when budgeting the trip.
Hotel concierge
$5 to $20 for services or assistance getting a restaurant reservation or procuring hard to get tickets to events, shows, or attractions.
You don't have to tip for every conversation or question easily answered. But if a concierge gets tickets or reservations for you, or assists in similar ways, tip them for the help per instance
Hotel doorperson
$1 to $2 per bag or per taxi hailed
Door people can help in many ways. If they answer a question, don't worry about a tip, but if they help you with bags or hail you a taxi, offer a small tip.
Hotel housekeeping (a favorite of ours)
Roughly $2 to $3 per person staying in the room and per day of stay
Leave the tip each day and make sure it's clear that it is for the staff. A note on the pad of paper in the room might say, Housekeeping-Thank you! A couple of crumpled bills on the dresser might get left untouched.
Mobility assistance
$5 to $20 per assistant
Room service
15 to 20% of the bill before room-service fees and taxes
Be aware: Room service often has a room-service fee and taxes.
You add a gratuity separate from that.
Skycap
$1 to $2 per bag
Tour guide
$5 to $50 or possibly $50 to $500 for multi-city or country tour guides
For a short tour you just picked up, $5 to $50 is great-more if you're a group or they did a great job. For a tour guide who accompanies you through multiple cities or countries, $50 to $500. Given at the end of the tour or trip with a thank-you.
Train attendant
$1 to $2 per bag
Do you have any plans for travel this winter or spring? What kinds of tips will you encounter on your trip? We’d love to hear about it in the comments, Community Members can post here. If you can’t post here, head over to the Monday Podcast Post where the comments are open to all.
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Thank you for spending some time this week with us, we hope this article helps you prepare well for your next trip! You can listen to this week's podcast here if you haven't yet! Keep an eye out for the Saturday Sip with its Emily Post recipe; that’s up next!
Until then,
Lizzie and Dan
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Thanks for the clear concise tips! 😉. I’m reminded of a story my Aunt shared with me about setting aside a stack of $5 bills in her hotel room intended for daily tipping of staff…. The entire stack was taken the first day apparently mistaken for that day’s tip…. She was out of luck when she explained it to the hotel manager. Your advice to clearly mark the tip for cleaning staff is important. I’ve had staff not take a tip I left because they weren’t sure. Based on my Aunt’s experience I might add to not leave money out if it is not intended as a tip for staff to avoid errors and embarrassment. I am going to research the expectations of tipping on a particular cruise I am taking my mother on this Summer so I will be properly prepared. Thanks!