tipping
Mark McCormack (markmc@ecn.net.au)
Sun, 2 Mar 1997 14:06:37 +1000
Hi all
I like to thank those who gave me info about tipping in the US. I will have
to remember what to do when I am there so as to avoid trouble.
I am a poor traveller and I will be staying at youth hostels and travelling
by bus across the country from north to south to west in 3 short weeks.
This means that tipping will be at a minimum. Do I need to tip the drivers
for the long haul bus trips? The question may sound silly but for me with a
culture of very little tipping, I do not wish to leave to many things to chance.
I was in Brugge in Belgium in '95, and did a canal tour. The tour was cheep
and lasted 20 minutes, and it was interesting, but at the end the driver
said a "tip for the commentary is expected." I nearly hit the roof
cconsidering the amount of money that was being made per trip, over a 10
hour period. But people still gave a tip. Each boat carried 20 people and
at about $8 per person AUD, at 3 trips per hour for 10 hours. I also think
that the drivers were not being paid a low wage.
I have also noticed that because in America it is part of the culture to
tip, the see them as extra saps to be fleeced for being naive.
Info on tipping and why has been most interesting.
Cheers
Mark
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