Tipping for excursions

[NancyIL]

Many people don't think you should tip the owner of a business; I think the assumption is that they make plenty of money. As the wife of the former owner of a fishing guiding business, I can tell you that many small operations barely get by. If there are employees, they get paid regardless of the operations income. The owner gets what is left over, or absorbs the loss. If the owner is the sole employee, it is such a small business that it takes several years to acquire enough clientele to even begin to make a profit, much less a living wage. However, the expenses those first few years are astronomical.

Also, the fishing trips where you don't catch a fish? Chances are, the guide worked way harder for you on that day than on a day when the fishing was great.

"even though we didn't "see" Misty Fjords due to weather"

You can't expect Mother Nature to cooperate with you all the time. If tour operators refunded $ whenever Mother Nature didn't cooperate, they would all be broke, and there wouldn't be any tours for you to go on in the first place.

 

The reason for not tipping at the time was due to the disagreement about the pilot being the owner. I didn't feel quite so bad about not tipping later, due to not having the wonderful trip others reported having.

[gg3]

We tip the pilot (and they are usually the owner) of the independent float plane trips, at least $20. Same for the whale watch captain. If (like Harv and Marv) they have a pick up driver who goes out of his way to show you some of the town, some of the sights, or are just so pleasant about our Alaskan adventure, we tip the shuttle driver $5 - 10. I think they all deserve the extra cash because what they do and the manner in which they do it, can go a long way in making your trip even more special. We have not had an independent tour in Alaska in our three trips, that was not just outstanding.......thanks to all the tips on CC. :D gg

[fti]

I just read this past week that Americans are by far the most generous tippers. Europeans don't tip nearly as much. It is as much a "cultural" thing as anything else. Generally I also tip on shore excursions but as Yukon said, it should be for service rendered. If something was subpar, I will generally give a greatly reduced tip (as opposed to no tip, which might leave them to wonder if I just "forgot" to tip).

 

John

[Yukon]

I just read this past week that Americans are by far the most generous tippers.

 

I hear that a lot, but my experience as a guide was always that it just ain't so.

[curry767]

Geez I wish I got tipped by my 250 passengers each flight ;)

[fti]

I hear that a lot, but my experience as a guide was always that it just ain't so.

 

So do Europeans and Asians (and others) tip as "well" as the Americans? Or do the Americans tip as "poorly" as the Europeans and Asians?

[Yukon]

So do Europeans and Asians (and others) tip as "well" as the Americans? Or do the Americans tip as "poorly" as the Europeans and Asians?

 

Germans and New Zealanders (2 of the notoriously-bad tippers according to some) tip as well as Americans in my substantial experience with them. I did a lot of Asian tours when I worked in Vancouver many, many years ago, and they too were good.

[knorrisb07]

we pretty much tip the tour guide almost every time if the service is not too bad

[CanCanCase]

Geez I wish I got tipped by my 250 passengers each flight ;)

Here's a bit of my way of thinking on the matter:

 

The number of folks on a tour and the number of tours run in a day has a LOT to do with it also. If I have 2 guests out for a 5-day excursion, the amount they tip is often quite a bit different than what 100 guests each tip on a 2.5- hour whale watch.

 

When I'm the guest, I do similar to Murray. On a commercial jet liner, for example, the pilot is EXPECTED to fly the plane safely, and get me where I want to go on a reasonable schedule. No tip is really warranted, IMO. If, on the other hand, the same pilot on the same trip tells me all about his/her plane, home, business, natural history, helps me see a bird that's on my birding list, lands on a lake and lets me fish, customized the whole flight just for my party, etc... there's a LOT more going on than what was expected... a tip would be warranted.

 

Someone in the guiding business told me, "the best tip a fishing guide can ever get is a repeat booking or a referral for new business." I've come to agree with that as well. From my point-of-view (that of the business owner/operator) repeat business can be worth MUCH more than the $100 tip you may leave behind.... at least in the long-run.

 

It shouldn't matter if the driver/guide/host owns the business/boat/plane/bus or not. Many captains refer to a boat as "my boat" since all responsibility is placed on them, even if they don't own it on paper. The $199 someone pays on a Princess cruise to go fishing for 3-4 hours ends up as less than $90 to the boat, captain, crew... and that's before important stuff like fuel, bait, tackle, insurance, license fees, and on an on...

 

I think the bottom line (for me) is that if you have a good time, please tip. The amount and form of the tip can vary widely and really should be left up to the guest doing the tipping... not some "normal" or average amount. Every tour and every guest is different, and their circumstances are different as well. $5 from a struggling college student means they had a great time much more than the $50 that a wealthy stock broker gave me. Just last week I had a 6 year old pull a quarter out of her purse. She gave it to my deckhand and said she wanted to come catch fish with us every day forever! That was a WAY better tip than the $100 her dad pulled out of his wallet.

 

One final note to my ramblings on tipping: it's not "taboo" to ask the captain, guide, driver, etc. how to handle a tip when more than one person is involved. Some tour boats have a tip jar, some "pool" and share everything they earn collectively, some keep what they are handed directly, and some give all tips earned on the tour to one person. Don't hesitate to ask.

 

-Case

[vbmom87]

So do Europeans and Asians (and others) tip as "well" as the Americans? Or do the Americans tip as "poorly" as the Europeans and Asians?

 

My son was a waiter in a restaurant that was frequented by European travellers. Consistently they left the coins from their change as the tip. Now, perhaps one might think my son was not doing his job. I can't say with 100% certainty. However, his customers from the US, did leave him substantial tips. He was well-liked by the management. So, my assumption is that the Europeans really did not understand how our tipping system works.

[curry767]

Hey Case,

 

Sorry mate, didn't mean for you to bite - I was only joking, hence the ;)

 

 

 

 

European's will leave the coins as that is the way they do it, they don't leave notes.

 

American's are more use to tipping as it has been part of there life for a lot longer than anywhere else.

 

Aussie's & Kiwi's are not great tippers because they are not use to it as it hasn't been a way of life for them (although that is changing).

 

In Japan outside the big cities it is considered rude to leave a tip!

 

Should people be aware of the local custom when it comes to tipping outside there own country - ABSOLUTELY!!

[mamma0233]

Thanks for an excellent reply! Although my husband and I are first time cruisers we are not first time travelers. My Hubbie regularly flies to Cabo to fish and a $600 day normally gets a $100 tip. Our tour guides in Hawaii also get at least 20%. Although our pilot for one of our volcano trips got megabucks for getting us sooo close to lava.

 

Even if these guys/gals own the boat/airplane their expenses are the same as a small business owner. AND in Alaska they are trying to eke out a living for 12 months in 4. If they give you their all and you have great memories give them a good tip! Remember owners don't get a "wage" they absorb the costs of doing business and keeping themselves and their employees afloat. What is left goes to them, unfortunately often not much.

 

We follow the 10% to 20% rule that we use in diners at home...depends on the service! Normally tour guides fall over themselves to make sure you have a good time, let them know you appreciate it!

 

And, YES, figure tips into your trip expences...reality bites!