Search Results for: blog tips on tipping

Budgeting for Tipping

When you are devising a vacation budget items like airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars are typically at the top of the list. However, what about the extra cash you need to tip cab drivers, concierges, skycaps, and hotel housekeepers? Often, travelers forget about padding their wallets to for gratuities. Tipping is an important factor to consider whether you are planning a monthly business trip or a 3-year-in-the-making European vacation. When saving up for a holiday getaway, don’t forget to consider the money you will need to tip appropriately. Tipping is generally not mandatory, unless duly noted on a bill; … Continue reading →

Restaurant Tipping

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Before I was married I didn’t cook much for myself. I fixed things. I fixed fast and easy things. I wanted to cook, but just didn’t. After I got married I was delighted to cook for my husband. I had subscriptions to a number of cooking magazines and cooked almost everything in them until the new editions arrived. We didn’t go out much because staying home was so much fun. When we started going out we loved to walk to nearby sit-down and takeout restaurants. I still loved and wanted to know more about cooking. I decided to take culinary … Continue reading →

International Tipping

How much did you tip the valet during your last stay at an upscale hotel? If the hotel was in the United States you should have shelled out at least 5 to 10 percent of the valet charge, according to gratuity experts. However, if you were given the same service in Europe, experts say you wouldn’t be expected to tip more than 3 percent, if at all. According to a new poll, nobody tips better than Americans. In fact, many of us are “overtippers” and that generosity doesn’t stop when we travel overseas. Interestingly, in some countries, leaving a wad … Continue reading →

Travel Tips: Holiday Tipping

Tis the season for giving… So how do your tipping skills measure up? With the holiday travel season in full swing I’ve noticed the subject of tipping has become a hot topic in several Internet travel forums. Some people headed out of town for the holidays are overwhelmed by the prospect of doling out extra dollars to everyone from taxi drivers to hotel valets, skycaps to concierges. So what is the rule when it comes to tipping? According to experts, the rule is there is no rule. Tipping is voluntary (unless so stated in a company’s policy; for example some … Continue reading →

Tips on Tipping—Part 2

Today we’re talking about tipping. When I’m on the road I often end up trying to figure out whom to tip, how much to tip, when to tip and how to deliver a tip. In my previous blog we covered tipping tips for cab drivers, bellhops, and valets. This blog will cover the other members of the hotel industry that make the bulk of their salaries from guests’ generosity. HOUSEKEEPING STAFF Most people I have spoken to about tipping admit (sheepishly) that they often forget to leave a gratuity for the person who cleans their hotel room each day. It’s … Continue reading →

Tips On Tipping

Traveling and tipping—-the two seem to go hand-in-hand. These days tips are so customary (and expected by those in the service industry) that many people don’t realize that tipping is technically voluntary. When traveling it almost goes without saying that you should stuff your pockets full of cash and be ready to dole it out to practically every person who touches your bags, opens a door, or gives you half a grimace in the hall. The problem for me is figuring out whom to tip, how much to tip, when to tip and how to deliver a tip. The following … Continue reading →

Save on Spring Break Escapes

  Old Man Winter has been walloping the nation with blizzards, brutal cold and blistering winds.  Consequently, it’s no surprise that so many people are looking to escape to warmer climates.  If you are in search of sun-kissed shores and sizzling hot temperatures, but are worried a beach vacation will blow your budget, consider the following tips: Book early:  If you want to save money on spring break travel, don’t procrastinate.  Many of the best deals are available for a limited time only.  Waiting for deeply discounted last-minute deals may cost you.  Remember, as planes and hotels fill up super … Continue reading →

Creative Ways to Tip This Season: Free Gift Cards and More

How many people do you have in your life who are on your tipping list for the holidays? The hair stylist, school bus drivers, teachers, the trash man, the postal clerk or delivery person (there are rules on type and amount), the baby sitter or nanny, the coffee barista and anyone else who provides you a regular service, may all be expecting a holiday tip. At least one service provider of ours actually leaves an envelope just for the purpose. Most of us forget to add tipping expenses into our budgets and may be left with a surprise when we … Continue reading →

Not Buying It

After nearly two decades working in television news, I’ve learned to be a bit more judicious when perusing headlines. In other words, I don’t believe half of what I see published these days, especially viral items that sweep the globe and become water cooler fodder, despite there being very little fact checking prior to their circulation. But, hey, sensationalism sells, so why mess up the money-making process by letting a little thing like the truth get in the way? It’s a question single moms around the world are left to ponder yet again thanks to an anonymous server who claims … Continue reading →

Making it Easier for Travelers to Tip

If you are short on cash, but still want to reward a barista or sandwich maker while you are on vacation, a high-tech solution may be coming your way. The DipJar is the answer to cash-less travelers looking to give a little extra to a service worker who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. According to the New York Post, a growing number of businesses are placing the credit card scanners that look like tip jars on counters so customers can place their gratuities on plastic if they don’t have cash to cough up. The Post says … Continue reading →