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Dedicated bus driver? A Week In...Spain
Hello part "A Week In...Spain" travellers. Can you tell me if this tour has a dedicated bus driver? Trying to figure out if I need to order lots more Euros to bring for tip to driver. Thank you. Also, any other tips you'd like to offer on this tour are appreciated.
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I always bring €s in small denominations in case I need to break up a gratuity.
Tauck still says you can tip in dollars. If you have Euros left over you might not use again, give a mixture.
If you want to give euros, you can get them from an ATM once you are in Spain. There's no need to get them before you leave the US.
Tip, if "suggested," (tips for TD are suggested, never required) in USD. With multiple drivers, it is "suggested" you tip the primary driver in USD (your TD will tell you how many days) and Tauck will tip all others. Local currency is accepted, VENMO, checks, etc. are not.
lisajanetx - There have been a few occasions (longer tours) where I have had more than one driver but that was usually only for a day or two. In those cases, the tour director took care of the tip. Whenever we had multiple drivers—one for multiple days then another for multiple days, we were responsible for extending the gratuity.
I have never taken a shorter tour such as yours, but I suspect you will have the same driver. Regardless, be prepared with smaller denominations.
Have a great trip!
We just had a land tour that had 4 different coach drivers. Two for local driving in Stockholm and Oslo. The TD very clearly told us Tauck pays for them. She made it very easy for us to know how many days to tip our remaining 2 drivers. Cleared up something I've often wondered about from other tours where we had a driver for only a day or two.
Thank you, Claudia Sails. I greatly appreciate your comment.
I'm asking about this because when we took the Week in Amalfi Coast tour, we didn't have a dedicated driver so we didn't have to tip. Mostly a driver on the Amalfi Coast for a day or two and that was it. That said, Amalfi Coast is rather unique in that driving is already controlled locally on Capri.
Additionally, I am aware we can tip in $$$, but our TD in Puglia asked that we tip her in Euros as she didn't want to pay for the exchange rate. I thought this was a bit impolite, but it is what it is. Since then, my thoughtful husband insists we tip in Euros. And as the value of the $$$ keeps dropping, it's better to lock in sooner rather than later.
Thanks for all for your comments. Any other comments re: restaurants with a view, tasty tapas, etc. would also be appreciated.
If you have free time in Madrid, go to the Plaza Mayor area and walk down any of the surrounding streets for tapas bars.
For excellent Spanish specialties (suckling pig), try Sobrino de Botín, also in Madrid. Reservations are mandatory since it is very popular with the locals.
Thank you kfnknfzk! Appreciate the recommendations.
My pleasure. Enjoy your trip!