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Yet another TIPPING question -what currency if your tour goes to countries with different currencies

terrilynn

I know this is discussed VERY often & I apologize in advance - BUT, we are heading to the Ultimate Alps & Dolomites next month.
Our tour starts in Germany, then goes to Austria, Italy and ends in Switzerland.

I know it's been discussed that the currency doesn't matter - that it's just important to TIP -- but, would you all tip in American Cash, Euros, or Swiss Francs for this tour? It is for 2weeks and we want to be sure we are prepared at the end of our tour for our TD & Bus Driver.

You are all so well traveled and I learn a ton here, just curious what currency most of you would use. Thanks !!

Comments

kfnknfzk

I try to tip in the currency of the country I am in; however, I have tipped in Euros when in Switzerland without a problem.

BKMD

I tip in USD plus any leftover local currency, on those rare occasions where I do have local currency.

JohnS

We always take enough in US Dollars to tip the tour director but the currency we end up tipping can vary. We were on the Ultimate Alps & Dolomites in 2018. Our TD was an American so we tipped in USD.

In May of this year were were on a tour of Italy. Our TD was a resident of Italy so we decided to tip in Euros. We brought our USD home with us and it was no problem spending it here.

We are off to Ireland next week and will bring USD for tips but if the TD happens to be Irish we may get Euros to tip. Same with the drivers. We will tip whatever currency is appropriate.

JanP

We always tip in USD. Tauck is a US-based company. Although some TDs may reside in the country being visited, many do not (at least from my experience). If we have any remaining local currency, we may also add that to our TDs tip.

Claudia Sails

If you're going for the ideal answer it's hard before you're actually on the tour because you don't know what might suit the bus driver and TD best. On our Swiss Crown Jewels tour the driver was Swiss from Lucerne but our TD was Polish and heading there after our tour. We certainly weren't going to track down polish zloty for her.

Unless Tauck tells me ahead of time that US dollars shouldn't be used we will arrive with the tip in dollars already set aside in envelopes. If we arrive and are told we need to change the plan then we will do what we can. We have been known to mix currency if we wanted to get rid of excess. We just look up that days exchange rate and figure out the amt.

kfnknfzk

Just to clarify my post, the gratuities I give to the tour director and driver are in U. S. dollars. When on pre and post tour days, I try to tip servers, hotel staff, et al in local currency.

British

As most people do, we carry the cash, dollars from home and keep it in an envelope. We write a personal note just before we give it them. Any spare local currency will be added. They can always give us the money back if it is too much trouble for them to change all that cash they will get from each person on the tour.

Folsomdoc

Looking forward to our first Tauck tour to Spain next month. But I really don’t like the idea of carrying envelopes stuffed with cash. I’m really good at losing stuff (lost my passport this year. Found it in a suitcase pocket after I reported it lost so too late). How about I hit an ATM at the end of the tour, tip the driver and TD in Euro?

kfnknfzk

Euros are fine. Of the four tour directors I have had throughout Iberia, all live in Spain. The bus driver(s) will certainly appreciate the gratuity in their own currency. Of course, U.S. currency is always accepted.

British

Folsomdoc, I have no idea where your tour ends, but it will definitely require planning to find an ATM. Most people give their tips to the TD at the Final group dinner. The TD will tell you when is the last time you will see the driver which is likely earlier than that, that is, not the last morning.

Folsomdoc

We will be in Santiago when we likely say goodbye to the driver. Checked and they have ATM’s. The tour ends in Madrid so plenty there. So I think it will be fine.

British

Your tour looks wonderful. Please post a review on the forum when you return.

Smiling Sam

We just received our final documents (electronically, no green book) for our upcoming Egypt: Jewels of the Nile tour. In it, it provides the following information relative to tips.

We ask that you extend gratuities on an individual basis rather than as a group, and we offer the following guideline to assist you in determining an appropriate amount:

USD $10 per traveler, per day for the Tauck Director for a total of USD $100 per traveler for the tour.

For other tours, this section included a phrase after the guideline amounts 'or an equivalent amount in local currency'.

Perhaps Tauck, in their final tour documents will indicate the desired currency for tipping. In this case it is US dollars.

BKMD

Also interesting that they do the multiplication for you and provide a total. I don't recall ever seeing that before.

AlanS

Remember, this is still a voluntary gratuity, unlike Disney and other cruises where you have no choice because the minimum amount is automatically deducted from / added to your onboard account.

When it comes to actions that are voluntary, I try to follow the suggested guidelines, however, in the end, I always chose actions that are easiest, safest, and most convenient, etc. for me!

The value of USD does not change as frequently nor as much as EGP, so I am sure that is the motivation to suggest USD. If you end up short on USD, you can always tip using a combination of both currencies and, if you want, you can compensate for the exchange rate by increasing the amount of EGP. The TD will be able to easily deal with whatever currency they are given, however.

Since we are rapidly approaching a cashless society, maybe at some point in the future we will be handed a mobile payment device like they use in restaurants, etc. We will be able to use any of several credit cards to transfer money directly into the TD's personal account or an account set up for them at Tauck HQ.

I can see it now, it will the equivalent of passing a collection plate at the farewell dinner Like payment devices at restaurants where you select various tip percentages, the Tauck device's screen will display amount options- start with "Tauck suggested amount" ($10, etc per day) and maybe three or four additional fixed (per day) tip amounts, and the total for each, and also a place to enter a higher or lower custom amount. (A similar process could be set up for the coach drivers. Just pass the device around during the last coach day)

Many folks might actually be more inclined to tip larger amounts, especially the cheapskates, if the process was easy and used virtual money ("it's only plastic money" or "buy now pay later") rather than forking over an envelope stuffed with cash.

Claudia Sails

Alan, great idea. Bonus - if your credit card gives points you'd get more for your trip. You need to let your buddy Dan know about this idea. On the higher amounts above the base they could add the option of letting you specifically say why you're giving more than the minimum.

It might be trickier for the bus drivers since they aren't Tauck employees but doable.

Smiling Sam

AlanS - Many folks might actually be more inclined to tip larger amounts, especially the cheapskates, if the process
was easy and used virtual money

Or because the tip is even more anonymous using the 'payment device' they might tip less. In addition, I think it would delay access to money for the TD, by a few days, if the tip was given via credit card vs handing them the cash.

Personally, I find it very easy to put the recommended amount of USD $ in an envelope and bring it with me from the states. If I have any left over local currencies then I'd augment the recommended amount that I placed in the envelope with the local currencies.

JohnS

A similar question on tipping.

How many people tip the drivers who take us to and from the airport? The Tauck literature says all of the tips are prepaid. Does anyone give extra to the airport drivers?

Smiling Sam

JohnS - How many people tip the drivers who take us to and from the airport?

I never have, but if one ever went above and beyond expectations I would.

As an example (this is a totally far fetched case), say we were all loaded into the car and I realized I had forgot a bag in the terminal. The driver decides to drive me back to the terminal to get the bag. In that case which is above and beyond expectations an additional tip would be provided.

If everything simply precedes per expectations, then I go with the Tauck guidance (no additional tip would be provided). I would apply similar logic to all service people on the tour. If they go above and beyond for me personally then an additional tip would be provided. If the service is good, but as expected, then I follow the Tauck guidance.

AlanS

We don't.

Noreen

We don't tip the driver to and from the airport. We were on a Viking river cruise on the Douro and they automatically added the tip which was okay with us. However, we wouldn't travel with them again and it has nothing to do with tipping.

Claudia Sails

I think we've tipped a couple of euros to some of the drivers. Some have been really interesting and provided additional commentary and others have just picked us up.

I find it interesting the range of vehicles we've been picked up in especially when it's just been the 2 of us. Mostly very nice luxury sedans. First time in Paris it was this top of the line sedan with all the bells and whistles plus the guy parked in vip parking just outside the exit doors. The next time I swear it was the guy's family car and I was expecting to find his kids toys in it. He was parked down in the regular parking garage requiring more schlepping of luggage than usual. It's always an adventure.

BKMD

One reason cash is best (vs electronic payment) for the TD is with cash the money is tax-free for them (though not officially).

Smiling Sam

Including the tips in the price of the tour, makes the tour more like going to an all-inclusive resort vs a hotel. In principal, I like the concept of including tips in the tour price, just like I like the concept of an all-inclusive resort. It allows you to know to a much greater degree of accuracy what your total costs will be, before you leave home. There are always extras, but including tips eliminates one of those unknown/variable extra costs.

Folsomdoc

@Smiling Sam I’m with you. My upcoming Spain tour is my first with Tauck after many Rick Steves tours. On RS tours tipping is not allowed-not just discouraged but not allowed. Now, well, we will be tipping. But not bringing envelopes of cash to safeguard for the entire trip. Reminds me of the bad old days on cruises before they added gratuities to your account electronically.

British

We have tipped over and above drivers a couple of times, and the bellman at the first hotel of they show us round them room. Ask if we want ice etc etc. but not that often
I do wish all tipping was included. The way it is now, it means some people pay a good few dollars more and others potentially don’t for the same service.
I have girlfriends who I lunch with, who have plenty of money, you should see how they are sometimes being a pain for the server, I want to slide under the table with embarrassment. Then when it comes to working out how to split the bill, they are so careful not to overtip. If I try to add more and then they count it out and say it is too big a tip, they start dividing up the money between us, yes, the money I put in extra and it goes part back to them not the server or me 😂😂😂😂 I guess that’s why they own two and three homes and i don’t 😀😂😂

Ken from Vegas

Smiling Sam said that his Egypt trip had this guideline:

USD $10 per traveler, per day for the Tauck Director for a total of USD $100 per traveler for the tour.

That's really interesting that they did the math including, implicitly, the number of days you should base it on. I've run into a couple of cheapskates in the past who didn't tip on the first and/or last day of the tour on the theory that the TD "didn't do much that days." I've always disagreed with this, since they do plenty on those days, even if you don't see them in the flesh as much. Besides, Tauck is the one that sets the tipping guideline, so you should use their number of tour days.

My upcoming Italy tour documents do not show the calculation, so I guess they are still rolling this change out. Good move, Tauck!

Smiling Sam

Ken from Vegas - My upcoming Italy tour documents do not show the calculation

Do your documents have any phrasing like 'or an equivalent in local currency'?

Ken from Vegas

Yes, I think they've always said that. Here's the full text:

We ask that you extend gratuities on an individual basis rather than as a group, and we offer the
following guidelines to assist you in determining an appropriate amount:

USD $10 per traveler, per day for the Tauck Director, or the equivalent amount in local
currency.

USD $7 per traveler, per day for the driver, or the equivalent amount in local currency.

Please note: Although gratuities represent the majority of your Tauck Director's compensation, our
policy prohibits Tauck Directors from directly soliciting gratuities.

All other service gratuities, including those for your local guides, hotel bellmen and restaurant
staff, have been included in the price of your journey.

Smiling Sam

Ken from Vegas - In my document there is no mention of 'or an equivalent amount in local currency'. They apparently, for this tour, want the tip to be in US dollars.