Excursion Tipping?

[Flintstone]

This may seem like a silly question...but...

I have our excursions booked independently and all three are with the owners (I believe). Is it still appropriate to tip the owner if they are the operator of the tour? (ie, Capt Larry, Ken @ Northern Lights, Michelle @ Island wings). If so, what is the appropriate amount? 15-20% total tour prices? As these tours are adding $$$ up quickly...I want to make sure I budget fully for all expenses!

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Deb

[aussie jb]

at the risk of being eaten alive here....that's one thing I can't understand about the U.S.....you are paying BIG $$$ for these tours, why do you have to tip as well?

[garycarla]

I am with you 'aussie'. You spend $50- $100 a head for tour (or more) and then there still is tipping. Somebody is getting lots of money somewhere along the line. And, in a large group, that tip could add to lots of money. Say 40 people on the bus each kicking in a few bucks gets to $100 in a hurry.

 

Hmmmmm....

[sweetiepie9339]

I was wondering this too- my glacier fly over and four hour trek is almost 500pp.... and if I need to tip based on % of that!! Plus- do you tip everyone... the bus driver, the pilot, both guides? How does that work?

[Budget Queen]

I disagree- I always tip. $5-10. These operators provide just an excellent tour, great service. It is a US custom of tipping, like it or not. :)

[Flyer]

Aussie jp,

 

I agree with you. We've really made a mess of the tipping haven't we? We did the Australia/New Zealand cruise year before last and I was looking forward to not being expected to tip. On the first evening we dined at the hotel and, as was written, we didn't tip. The next day we met up with our tour guide and she reminded us that we were expected to tip??? Go figure. Of course she wanted her tip after the trip to Cairns too. :)

 

Back to the subject. On most excursions we (read it somewhere) tip $1.00 pp for a half day tour and $2.00 pp for a full day tour. Sometimes the driver is helpful and we tip 1/2 that for him. On the Alaska helicopters, we never considered tipping the pilot. Do you tip each airline pilot? I have read on this board some people tip some very high amounts. I'm sure the guides like that but not for me.

[Budget Queen]

Yes absolutely, I tip pilots. They gave me an excellent safe trip. :) I know tipping adds up. I am fortunate to have an overpaid job and yes perhaps I am more free with my money than others. Go with what is comfortable for you.

[sweetiepie9339]

So 5 dollars to the piolt 5 to the guide... thats not bad... I just didn't want to be expected to tip a % of such a high priced trip...

[aussie jb]

Flyer, just in reply to your comment about tipping in Australia. We do not have to tip anyone here, and I mean anyone. The ONLY place I would even think about leaving a tip would be in a restaurant, and then that is ONLY if you are happy with the meal and the service you got, and then you would only tip 10%.

 

and (oops, here I go again) Why do you have to tip the pilot?? Thats his job to get you there safely. I liked the way my pilot flew me to Vancouver (wasn't so happy with the one that flew us to Anchorage) but I wouldn't even dream of tipping him. Where do you draw the line??

 

No wonder Australian tourists are disliked for their tipping habits. :)

[Flyer]

Aussie jb,

 

Thanks for that Australia tip clarification. It may come in handy when we take another trip to your beautiful area.

 

Hear! Hear! about tipping the pilot. I am a commercial pilot and have flown charters and never expected a tip. Maybe some do. I'll have to ask my friends. With all respect, the Captain on major airlines is well compensated. Besides how would you get access to them these days to tip them? :)

[aussie jb]

ok, ok.....the pilot bit was an attempt at some humour BUT where DO you draw the line?

 

The people at Starbucks are paid to make coffee, the hairdressers are paid to do hairdressing, the man who carries your bags into the hotel lobby etc etc I just can't understand.....are wages and conditions there that bad??

 

I really don't disagree with paying a tip when it is deserved

[GoBucks04]

I tip EVERYONE. I don't think most people we tip (waitresses, tour guides, etc) make enough per hour. I was a waitress and most out of country people do NOT tip as well as we do in the US. The pay must be structured differently in other places. I think everyone appreciates a tip for good service and it won't break anyone to do it. I always say if you can't afford tips at restraunts, excursions, etc, you shouldn't do it in the first place.;)

[dakrewser]

Getting back to the original question, you should never tip the owner. If they really go out of their way to do something special, and you wish to show your appreciation, wait 'til you're home then send them a small thank you gift - with a note explaining why you're sending it.

[sbrady88]

From what I have seen on cruises. Tip while in another country but not is the US. Nobody tipped anyone on my last Alaska cruise.

[tedjazz]

So is that the only reason some service provider should provide good service, is for the tip. I provide good service without the expectation of a tip. If I get one it is because people are recognizing me for doing something extraordinary. I take pride in my work and beyond my meger wage I expect nothing but am grateful for anything.

The one that really gets to me is when you pull up to the pier in a taxi or bus, the driver gets a tip for the safe passage and helping with the bags, but they (taxis) also charge you per bag up front, then the baggage handlers pick up you bags and move it five to ten feet and throw it into a luggage bin and then stand there with their hand out, they expect $1 to $2 per bag.

I tip for good to great service and I tip what I think they deserve, not some set percentage or customary amount, nothing more or nothing less.

[Coral]

I also tip.

 

For example - the college girl who did my Experience the Yukon trip did an awesome job (drove and narrated). She said that they are paid $12 an hour from Princess. Considering living expenses are very high in Alaska and the fact that they have to drive hours for groceries sometimes (they drive to Canada for grocery shopping since the local store in Skagway is very limited), $12 an hour is minimal pay.

[Deb in Cali]

I am curious about this also. So I am paying $400 for my husband and I to take a 1 1/2 hour helicopter tour and I have to tip the pilot at the end. My cousin is a pilot and he makes GOOD $$$$. This is absurd.

[Alaskanguide]

Sorry I have to say something also, As you can tell by my log in name

ALASKAN GUIDE , I'm a guide here in Alaska. So let me tell you how I feel about tipping vs the other guides I work with. For starters I feel if I do a great job and you enjoyed the tour and it was the best time you have had since you have been here. Then I have done my job. If you give me a tip thats just something extra I get besides my paycheck if I do not get anything I do not run off and cry or talk bad about you just because your from Texas.:D I get paid to make you feel at home. Now my other guide friends expect a tip from everyone , They say thats the only way they can make it thru the summer and survive winter. And I have seen them get very upset and even ask people why they did not give them a tip. I guess thats why I'm full all the time and they are not..:)

 

Anyway , Since I'm a guide I'm not going to lie I do like the tips but I would rather have someone tell me they had a great time , Learned alot , and they will tell their friends to come on the tour. Thats thanks enough for me.

 

Alaskan Guide

[Yukon]

I agree completely with Alaskanguide. I drive charter/tour bus in Alaska/Yukon part-time year-round ( http://www.norlinecoaches.com ). The trip I'm doing at the moment (I'm in a hotel 1,200 miles from home right now) will not get me a nickel in tips. In the summer most do, but that's a bonus and not the reason I do the job - I do it because I enjoy traveling, meeting people and showing them my little chunk of tthe world. If a tiny percentage of people tipped like BQ, I'd have retired years ago! :D For many companies there actually is a tipping "formula" for motorcoach trips in the summer - those formulae range from $2-3 per person per day (ie $20-30 for a couple for a 5-day trip if your driver/guide does a particularly good job). That, however, can't be called an industry guideline, merely what some companies recommend.

 

Murray

[nbean98]

I have to agree with Aussie. If your happy with the service then they deserve a little something extra, but if you get lousy service or they don't go out of their way to make your trip memerable then I don't see why they should get anything extra.

[DALSAL]

HEY! Im from Texas and I ALWAYS tip! LOL

[SEPyle]

You gotta love these boards...we all come with different perspectives! So I'll just have to add mine.

 

We always tip-usually over and above when the service is adequate and tip really well when the service is really good.

 

I really think Budget Queen has the right idea. Even when it's an expensive excursion, what's another $5??? OK, I won't go the $10, since I'm not that overpaid :)!

 

I also want to comment on people who are from cultures where tipping isn't the norm. We lived in Europe (Germany) and the norm is to round off to the next DM. That's not much. That's in Germany. Waitstaff are paid at a much higher rate than waitstaff in the US. My daughter waits tables in Key West. They have a lot of Europeans who vacation in Key West. It's really hard on them when Europeans don't tip. They live off their tips and since the cost of living is very high in Key West, that's how they survive. So my theory on the whole subject...When in Rome do as the Romans do! When you visit the US, remember, the people waiting tables or leading an excursion, don't make it on their salary, they do a good job hoping for a good tip!

 

I will now call my daughter and tell her I've done my part for her industry! Oh wait a minute...it's way too early...she lives in Key West and I'm sure they were all up late last night having the time of their lives!

 

Sharon in Charlotte

[Flyer]

Hey! This Texan also tips when appropriate and without hesitation. I just don't go overboard. I only have a little extra money because I don't waste it. I have had great guides and always tip a fair amount for my dw and me. I accept America's tipping custom and comply with the tradition. That doesn't mean that I agree with what it has turned into. :) Alaska Guide, if you happen to be one of our guides on our trip in May I'll be pleased to tip you. Thanks for your attitude about it.

[Flintstone]

Getting back to the original question, you should never tip the owner. If they really go out of their way to do something special, and you wish to show your appreciation, wait 'til you're home then send them a small thank you gift - with a note explaining why you're sending it.

 

Thank you dakrewser...that's really what I was looking for.

 

Very interesting to read the broad sprectrum of opinion on this subject. Tipping is an extremely "personal" choice and everyone needs to act within their own comfort level. Non US visitors to the US, however, really need to be educated on the wage scales here in our country. Most wait staff make less than $3 per hour here and rely heavily on tips to supplement their meager paycheck.

 

And yes...I do agree that tipping in the US has gotten way out of hand...seems like everyone's got their hand out. But, we do it anyway because its expected!

 

Good for you Alaskanguide!! I'm sure your attitude alone will make you lots of $$$.

 

My concern lies with the "owner-operator" type excursions as I've read that it may be inappropriate to trip the owner. Wondering why :confused:

 

Deb

[Alaskanguide]

Sorry,

 

If your from Texas I'm sorry , I just said that because my friend visits this site, And is the one that gets upset for not getting a tip. He is from Texas and I give him a hard time when we get a group of Texans and he the only one thats get nothing. I enjoy talking to everybody.:rolleyes: