Best Of

While we are discussing tips and how to include them in the pricing of a tour, I'd like to add another aspect to the discussion. One of the first Tauck tours we took was in 2012 to Spain and Portugal. It was led by Joe Pereira. He was an American with Portuguese roots brought up on Fall River, MA. He was about our age and single.

He and his bus driver had developed a great relationship over the years to the point that Joe would stay with the bus driver (sleeping on his couch) in between tours and was the godfather for the bus driver's two children. He became the de facto grandfather.

Joe explained to us the challenges faced by a bus driver who didn't make that much money and was striving to provide housing for his family and to pay for good schooling, with a goal of living in a two or three room apartment.

Joe make a very generous request of us. He suggested that we cut back on his tip and give some of it as an additional amount for the bus driver. This has remained with me over the years as we've continued to take tours with Tauck.

If more money is put into the base price of the tour, I wouldn't guarantee how much of it would go to the bus driver and how much would remain with the contracted company. The bus company would have to pay more to drivers who drive for Tauck tours than for those who direct for other companies and could get tips. If I ran the company, I would not want to have this type of pay structure.

Kathy M - I love your story about the friendship between the tour director and bus driver. Once, in the countryside of Norway, our tour director asked us if it would be okay for the bus driver to stop along the route so he could say hello to his elderly mother who lived with him and his family. He had done several back-to-back drives and missed her. As the bus slowed, there was a younger man with the driver's mother standing on the side of the road. The man and driver helped her into the bus and she proceeded to walk the length of the bus handing out cookies she had baked earlier. Like your experience, this has stayed with me through the years.

Offering gratuities is a personal choice and one that really does not need to be debated in my opinion. Tauck's suggested amounts are just that—a suggestion. I offer gratuities based solely on what I believe to be fair and equitable, and they are my way of offering a sincere 'thank you'.

Chris Morrison is the one of the best TDs Tauck has. They should all be up to his standards.

Agreed. He was very good on our Morocco tour.

I think we are all in agreement that the TD should get something, somehow, from the guests above the current cost of the tour itself. I'm not sure there is complete agreement on the CD. Be that as it may, the real question is how; cash; electronic payment; increase in tour cost; pre-paid debit card, etc.

Just thinking out loud here:

Maybe Tauck could facilitate something similar to what my local newspaper does for home delivery, that is, give the guest the ability of adding a tip in amount determined by the guest to the Tauck billing. Ideally, it would be allowed at anytime before the tour starts. Tauck could add a line item to the guest's online account, or phone it in. Tauck could then forward it to the TD/CD after the tour ends so they don't know during the tour who's "naughty" or "nice" . When the tour ends, if the guest wants to, they could always top-up the pre-paid tip but not rescind it.

Yes, it would take some setting up and bookkeeping on Tauck's part but this isn't rocket science to figure out. If Tauck wanted to do both the guest and TD/CD a favor, the system could facilitate currency exchanges at a small charge to the recipient. This might not work for the CD since (I assume) Tauck has no control over who the driver would be. Also, there might be tax implications since the tip is now "on the books" but maybe they can try it just on a few US tours as a trial.

There has to be a way for the guest not to have the need to schlep around hundreds or even a thousand plus dollars (or equivalent) in cash for a couple of weeks or more. Thanks for listening.

How about preloaded visa or Mastercards???

We have two back-to-back trips next year with Tauck.   We are going to Namibia for eleven days and then Elegant Africa for twelve days.  We will have $1,150.00 for the tips.  I just wish they would add it to the price of the trip to make our lives easier than carrying around a lot of money.