To summarize the "conundrum," the simplest thing to do would be for Tauck to incorporate tips into the tour price so we don't have to deal with it on tour. Since they already do it on river cruises, should be fairly simple for them.
We do a lot of river boats and small boat tours, but we have also done six land tours. I think the TDs do a lot more work on land tours. I have done riverboat tours where I have barely known who the TDs were. The tour ‘guides’ are mostly the local people. But, I have also done tours where the TDs on the small ships and riverboats were great. I also know that Tauck wants the tipping of TDs to be a personal thing that is a reflection of the quality of the service. If you include the tips as part of the salary and part of the cost of the trip the incentive for an over the top performance and experience has been removed. The carrot will have been removed. I was mugged once in Chicago while flying for American (my ID was actually found in Dallas by some coincidence), and my wife was once mugged in Barcelona near the Ramblas when we were traveling to the airport by bus. The most valuable thing they got was her Coach purse. They apparently cut the strap with a razor and she did not even know it was gone. That being said, I will reveal my system. When out and about, no jewelry. I use a room card holder as a wallet. I carry one credit card and thirty dollars and thirty euros. Everything else is in the safe in the hotel. We travel with one hundred ones, twenty fives, ten tens, and five twenties. That’s four hundred bucks for two of us. In an emergency that would cover some medical expense, perhaps a hotel room, and a meal or two. I consider this a minimum travel stash. This is separate from the TDs tip which is already in an envelope. We have traveled rather extensively aside from Tauck, and I have used the cash.
We use Regent Seven Seas for ocean cruises. They are all-inclusive, including all tips. Even with that, we usually tip the cabin attendant and butler at the end of the cruise, especially if they’ve gone above and beyond. But the tip is smaller than what is recommended on those cruise lines that are not all inclusive.
I haven’t traveled on one of those lines in a long time, but I think the recommended tip was $10 to $15 per day, per cabin attendant. That adds up to a lot of money but they let you put it on your cabin invoice, so you don’t need to carry a lot of cash. I always wondered if the cabin attndant got all of the tip, of if the cruise line skimmed some off.
Comments
To summarize the "conundrum," the simplest thing to do would be for Tauck to incorporate tips into the tour price so we don't have to deal with it on tour. Since they already do it on river cruises, should be fairly simple for them.
I have frequently seen the TDs doing the tipping … in cash.
Yes, but that Tauck money it’s not mine and I have heard of aTD getting his cash stolen
We do a lot of river boats and small boat tours, but we have also done six land tours. I think the TDs do a lot more work on land tours. I have done riverboat tours where I have barely known who the TDs were. The tour ‘guides’ are mostly the local people. But, I have also done tours where the TDs on the small ships and riverboats were great. I also know that Tauck wants the tipping of TDs to be a personal thing that is a reflection of the quality of the service. If you include the tips as part of the salary and part of the cost of the trip the incentive for an over the top performance and experience has been removed. The carrot will have been removed. I was mugged once in Chicago while flying for American (my ID was actually found in Dallas by some coincidence), and my wife was once mugged in Barcelona near the Ramblas when we were traveling to the airport by bus. The most valuable thing they got was her Coach purse. They apparently cut the strap with a razor and she did not even know it was gone. That being said, I will reveal my system. When out and about, no jewelry. I use a room card holder as a wallet. I carry one credit card and thirty dollars and thirty euros. Everything else is in the safe in the hotel. We travel with one hundred ones, twenty fives, ten tens, and five twenties. That’s four hundred bucks for two of us. In an emergency that would cover some medical expense, perhaps a hotel room, and a meal or two. I consider this a minimum travel stash. This is separate from the TDs tip which is already in an envelope. We have traveled rather extensively aside from Tauck, and I have used the cash.
We use Regent Seven Seas for ocean cruises. They are all-inclusive, including all tips. Even with that, we usually tip the cabin attendant and butler at the end of the cruise, especially if they’ve gone above and beyond. But the tip is smaller than what is recommended on those cruise lines that are not all inclusive.
I haven’t traveled on one of those lines in a long time, but I think the recommended tip was $10 to $15 per day, per cabin attendant. That adds up to a lot of money but they let you put it on your cabin invoice, so you don’t need to carry a lot of cash. I always wondered if the cabin attndant got all of the tip, of if the cruise line skimmed some off.