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Tipping Tour Director and Bus Driver - What options do we have?
The post may be confusing. I know we need to tip both persons. However, when I traveled last year to Italy with another tour company, I was able to put the charges on my credit card. My agent tells me that Tauck will not allow you to put the tips on your credit card. When I converted US dollars last year, I took a loss on the US dollar, i.e., exchanging $400 - I got back abt $350 euros. So for this trip in order to make sure I have the $360 tip for both, I will need to convert $413...a loss of $53.
Has anyone been successful in being able to put the tips on a card. If not, any alternate solution so we don't take a hit on the conversion?
Thanks - Bonnie
Has anyone been successful in being able to put the tips on a card. If not, any alternate solution so we don't take a hit on the conversion?
Thanks - Bonnie
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Comments
As to the "loss" you suffered in Italy,
The euro and the dollar are pretty much never 1 to 1 equivalent. How big the difference is varies from day to day so it's possible to make your exchange on a bad day but not something you can really plan unless you're some international financial expert. Today's rate of $1 = 0.88 euros - doesn't mean I lose 12 cents on every dollar exchanged. It means that 0.88 worth of euros buys a dollar's worth of merchandise. In comparison, today the Hungarian Forint to dollar rate is 284 HUF to $1. Doesn't mean I gained 283 dollars in the exchange. It just means that a 2840 HUF lunch actually costs me $10.
A bigger source of "loss" is where you get your money from. Airport currency exchanges and non-bank ones have the worst exchange rates. Local ATMs and banks have the best.
If your tip should be $360 - then you need 317 euros to pay the tip with as of today.
I'm include a link to Rick Steves website where there's some excellent suggestions on cash/currency in Europe.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money
Yes, confusing!!
No, credit cards can't be used to tip the TD or driver, and checks aren't typically acceptable either.
No, if the tip is $360 (360 USD) and you want to tip in Euros- convert (or withdraw) the equivalent of $360 into Euros (€308.49 as of 1700, 1/2/2019- the number is smaller but the amount/value is equal!)
You are overthinking this! You only need to work in one currency if you want- the TD in Italy can be an American, German, British, etc. and the driver, though probably Italian, can easily change his USD tip to Euros- this won't be his first rodeo! The Tauck suggested amounts are figured in USD per day and who should be tipped can be found in the "Green Book" you will receive once you have paid in full.
You can tip in USD or local currency- regardless it is still based on USD. Just figure it out ahead of time and take it with you or if you want to use local currency withdraw $360 worth of local currency from an ATM sometime on tour. As far as converting ahead of time we never do- we get local currency at the airport from an ATM when we arrive. The exchange rate can be very volatile which can work to your advantage or not, no way of telling. The only difference is the fee the ATM and bank/credit card may charge for an ATM withdrawal of foreign currency- budget dust compared to what you are spending on the trip and airfare.
Like Sealord, we always leave home with an envelope with dollars in it for the tip. Along with note paper to write a personal note. We also put any local cash we might have acumulated in there as well at the end of the tour. We have only once been asked by a tour director to tip several different bus drivers in particular currency in different currencies, but it was too late, we had dollars for them so that is what they got. We do not very often get local currency. Tour directors do receive thousands of dollars at the end of a regular tour, so clearly they will be making regular visits to banks in major cities that are usually at the end of a tour, so it is generally really easy to exchange money. Much easier than changing money in the US which we find is an absolute pain and proves what a small percentage of Americans ever leave the shores of the US. Our bank staff seem flabbergasted when we tell them where we are visiting.
You must never try tipping with a credit card or check or try to collect money for tips as a group. I often say I am convinced that some people don’t tip. When to tip? It’s usual to tip at the Farewell dinner when you hand the tour director your ‘Hope amd Trust’ form that you have to fill in that gets forwarded to Tauck headquarters.
Check your bank’s website to see which banks they partner with in each country. They do not charge a service fee when using their partner ATMs. Also, remember to advise your bank of your travel dates and countries visiting to be sure they do not issue a fraud warning and shut down your card. Same goes for your credit cards.
Bryan
The issue of whether your bank or credit card charge you for money exchange, it is being left with foreign money at the end of a trip you no longer need and can’t change back especially if it is all small change.
“Hi, Kenneth.(They don’t know my real name.). Based on your airline ticket purchase(s) on your Citi® card, it appears that you're traveling soon. To make things easier for you, we've added a travel notice to your account to help prevent possible purchase interruptions.
If you'll be visiting other states or countries not included on your airline ticket during your trip, you can update your travel notice in Citi® Online or the Citi Mobile® App.”
Also, coincidentally, they are the ones that shut down my card in Grenada after I had told them I was travelling to Grenada. They admitted that it was their mistake, but they said they could not reactivate the card, until I got a supervisor, and ‘explained’ that if they did not reactivate the card, I would permanently cancel it. The impossible became possible. (;-). But, as said, I now carry more than one card.