I consider myself a nervous tipper (seriously, my palms sweat when it’s time to do the quick math and tip somebody)—I never know how much to give and, even when I do, I often only have $10 and $20 bills when I’m traveling (I wish the ATM would let you request smaller bills!).
For my last trip, I stopped by the bank before I left and asked the teller to break a larger bill for a bunch of $1 and $5 bills—my plan worked out well. I had the right amount of change for all of my tips—but I still struggled with how much to tip the bellhop who held onto our luggage while our room wasn’t ready. And what about the housekeeping attendant? And the bartender who gave us lots of great restaurant recommendations? And the promoters who gave us complimentary passes to get into nightclubs?
Luckily for me, one of our sister publications, Consumer Reports Money Adviser, recently came up with a great tipping list for travel in the U.S.:
Airport Skycap: $1 per bag; $2 per bag for very heavy bags (10 pairs of shoes adds up!).
Taxi or limo driver: 10 to 20 percent of the fare.
Shuttle-bus or van driver (including rental car shuttles): $1 to $2 per person.
Doorman: $1 to $2 for hailing a taxi.
Bellhop: $1 to $2 per bag; up to a $10 tip if he shows you to your room and again if he assists you when you check out.
Maid: $2 to $5 per day (consider leaving it each day in case different staff members clean your room).
Luxury-hotel chambermaid: $5 to $9 per night.
Concierge: $5 to $20, depending on your request.
Room service: $1 if a “service charge” is automatically added to your bill. Tip 15 to 20 percent of your bill if it lists a “room service charge,” “delivery fee,” and “delivery charge.”
Local tour guide: $2 to $5 per person, per day.
Private guide or tour manager: $3 to $10 per person, per day.
Tour bus driver: $2 per person, per day.
Traveling outside the U.S.? Find the recommended international amounts for tipping from France to Hong Kong to Saudi Arabia. And, check out Magellan’s worldwide tipping guide, which is broken down by amounts for restaurants, porters and taxis.
holidays to tenerife
06:19:13 AM on Wed Jul 1 2009
woah - soon adds up - worth adding to your budget planning