Best Of

Sealord, I did not in anyway intend to insult airline pilots. Being a retired Naval officer I've known and worked with many aviators, one of our good friends and neighbors is a pilot for United and another is a former Blue Angels CO. I was responding to Smiling Sam's post and just trying to get across the point that Tauck coach drivers do more than just safely drive us around. There is so much behind the scenes work that TDs, CDs, and coach drivers do that most of us don't understand until we've taken multiple tours.

I'm sorry you've gotten mistaken for a bell hop. I guess it's the same as the male pilot at Oceana who thought I must be a nurse because I was a female officer.

Again, I admire the work pilots do and am very thankful when they get us safely to where we're going.

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

I just returned from the Magic of Morocco tour. The tour was not my favorite Tauck tour; however, it was made much more enjoyable by the TD and the fellow travelers. I tipped more than the Tauck "$15 recommended" as the TD (Chris Morrison) provided excellent service.

I also tipped the bus driver; although it was not required (I asked the TD and he indicated it was not required but to feel free to provide the gratuity). The bus driver's son accompanied us on the tour. He was learning as he wanted to do the same job as his father. He was a very helpful and attentive young fella.

I understand both sides - everyone must do what is comfortable and practical for their personal situation at the time. It is not my normal practice to tip the bus driver; however, for some reason I was inclined to do so this tour. Strangely, I purchased more stuff on this tour from the UNESCO sites- rugs, tangine's, jewelry, herbs, potions, etc....perhaps in hindsight, I did enjoy this tour more than I realized. Until the next tour...Inshallah.

As the brother of a retired airline captain I agree with the comments of Sealord and Mike. Not to diminish the workload, skill and importance of a tour bus driver, but to compare the two professions in this thread is not only not the point of the topic but would require a more thorough understanding and discussion of the entire scope that each profession entails.

Choc, I like your suggestion of a preloaded card although that might be dependent on the region of the tour as to its usefulness to the TD.

What I don't get is why it is not expected to tip a cruise TD but it is expected to tip a land TD? Perhaps there are payroll or other tax implications for Tauck in one type of tour and not the other? Just speculating. I agree with the concept mentioned above that just charge me more on the land tours and forget tipping altogether. One less thing to think about.

All this is ridiculous, just put the prices up and truly make it all inclusive as advertised.
Remember the discussions from people here who have only taken river cruises and are surprised about tipping on land tours. I’ve said it a millions times, not everyone tips. Let’s make it fair and everyone pay the same price upfront. And don’t tell me tour directors will not give their best knowing they won’t be getting tips. What is this world coming to that we have to reward certain jobs with tips in this country. Pay the people a decent wage.

Tauck no longer pays their TD’s extra for leading small groups, so the senior directors don’t like to lead them, plus of course, it might be inflation, but a 20% rise.

I heard that also. It's much more attractive for a TD to take a Classic size group than a small group. Tauck announced the really small group on some tours, and I wonder how they're going to handle that.

For the TD, tips are a big part of their compensation. (I still wouldn't want that job )

In the meantime the cost of the tours gets higher and higher, so with the tours being so expensive why doesn't Tauck pay TD a better wage and we can tip according to the service we receive. It's getting a bit ridiculous and I don't care how many hidden pockets you have I do not like carrying large amounts of cash.

Yes, the coach driver work is more than an airline pilot's. In addition to dealing with the luggage (which gets harder when people bring extra), they also have to clean the coach, make sure it has fuel, dump the holding tank, etc. But I do believe Tauck could pay them a base amount for all that and those who need extra attention could then tip accordingly.

Upping the tip amount is going to result in more complaints and calls for just including it all up front like the river cruises do.