Gratuities for Tour Director?

Stratheden

As an Aussie I am not used to paying gratuities for Tour Directors. I always book all inclusive tours but have noted that the Tour Director's gratuity is not included in our upcoming Land Tour of Turkey.

How much is an appropriate amount for a 12 day tour. What currency do I pay in?

I was hoping to be able to pay this in advance. Does anyone know if I can.

Thanks

Strath

British

It is found somewhere on the Tauck website that the usual amount of tip recommended by them is $8 per person per day. It is not possible to pay this in advance. You can pay in local currency, which is a good way of using it all up instead of taking it back home. You could use dollars amd local combined. If all fails, pay in Dollars. The tour guide can easily change those I am quite sure. If the guide lives in the US for some of the year, no worries.
I am not sure why you would pay a tip in advance, if a guide was utterly awful you would surely ask for your money back!

Kathy18

The recommendation is usually $8 in US currency per day. I do not know how that converts to another currency. I usually set the amount aside in an envelope so that I have it for the end of the tour. I am usually using US dollars since most of the tour directors that I have had are from the US. If the director is from another country then I would use whatever the local currency is as they are doing more than one tour there. As Tauck says a tip and the amount is at the discretion of the traveler. If the director has gone out of the way for you in some way, you might want to give more. You can also give less if you feel they could have been better. Whatever currency you use, the director would be able to exchange it to whatever works for them.

Richardb

Yes, all the above are correct and you will find details in the pre-tour bundle which Tauck will send you.
Richard

jdurkin

Just a slight addendum to the above information ... You are on a land trip and chances are that you will have the same coach driver for the length of your trip. On the land trips I've taken with Tauck (all in North America) tips are extended to the driver as well. As Richard says above, you will see, in your pre-tour documentation package, suggested amounts for the TD and driver. These amounts are NOT compulsory. You have discretion in the amount you give. Or choose not to. Although, as a fellow Australian who appreciates your intellectual stance on the outsourcing of wages in some countries, I think you might actually be surprised with this particular situation. After 19 Tauck trips to date, there have only been 2 occasions where I exercised my discretion to the degree that the driver got the bulk of the kitty. And well-deserved it was, too! And the whole embarrassing procedure is handled in a much more tasteful way than some of the horror stories you have heard. As a sideline, this procedure does save you from the embarrassment of tipping in countries and cultures where tipping is not expected or required, or worse, is an insult to the server.

If you ever take a Tauck small ship or river cruise, all tips are included in the cost of your trip. So that's something to look forward to!

If you are an observant traveller, you will see the TD hand envelopes to local guides along the way. When you see this, your troubled conscience can be somewhat mollified in that at least the largesse is being shared with all involved.

Cheers,

Jan

Fly Wagon

Thank you all for your replies to this question. This will be our first tour, not just with Tauck, but with anyone. We've traveled over most of Europe (except Spain and Portugal where this tour will take us), all of North America, and Mexico (including the Baja Peninsula), and we took ourselves on a six-week self-drive safari (four-wheel camper) in S. Africa and Namibia. With the exception of whitewater trips down the rivers Green, MF of the Salmon, and Deschutes (all in the U.S.) we're definitely newcomers to this business of being guided.

Traveling is not new to us, nor is tipping, but the handling of gratuities to the Tour Guide and Driver on an extended tour is new and I thought it might be sticky. Apparently not. Thank you again.

Allen R.

jdurkin

Don't forget to come back here and tell us all about your trip!

BTW ... do you have 2 "names" on this forum or have you split the research duties? ))

Cheers,

Jan

Fly Wagon

jdurkin wrote:

Don't forget to come back here and tell us all about your trip!

BTW ... do you have 2 "names" on this forum or have you split the research duties? ))

Cheers,

Jan

Is your question directed to me? If so, I don't think I joined with two names. Yesterday when prompted for a screen name I chose the Fly Wagon only because that's what my wife and I have named my truck. The "Fly" refers to fly-fishing.

Did I screw up when I registered? Or, worse, is there a more sinister possibility?

Allen R.

On edit: Maybe it's owing to the fact that my first name is "James". Ummm?

jdurkin

Hi Allen,

No .... it's just that the first question in this thread, which I assume is yours, was posted by Stratheden

It's doesn't really matter what you call yourself as long as you get useful answers! I guess the trick is ... is to remember the name you first registered with, then use that again when you log back in. You don't have to register every time you post.

Cheers,

Jan

Fly Wagon

jdurkin wrote:

Hi Allen,

No .... it's just that the first question in this thread, which I assume is yours, was posted by Stratheden

It's doesn't really matter what you call yourself as long as you get useful answers! I guess the trick is ... is to remember the name you first registered with, then use that again when you log back in. You don't have to register every time you post.

Cheers,

Jan

I see. No, I'm not Stratheden. I was giving a "Thank you" to those who had contributed comments in advance of my continuing the conversation about gratuities.

Sorry for the confusion. I should have started a new thread.

Allen R.

jdurkin

No need, Allen. As as the info is useful!

Cheers,

Jan

OzJohnno

In an attempt to clear the air a little here I have had conversations with Strathden in the past on another website where he/she was discussing river cruising. Strathden had cruised with Scenic and knowing I was a fan of Tauck asked me a number of questions about the company. I would like to think that in a very small way I encouraged he/she to try a Tauck adventure. He/she had heard me "rave" about the all-inclusive nature of a Tauck cruise and again like me was surprised to find that on a Tauck land trip you were expected to "tip" the TD. I am sure that Strathden would be back to see the results of the OP but perhaps with the inability of the site to remind you by email that a thread you are following has a reply he/she might just have forgotten the original question.

jdurkin

OzJohnno wrote:

..... he/she might just have forgotten the original question.

Yep. Story of my life ...........