SOURCE: Cheapflights.co.uk
Be in the Know About Tipping Abroad and Save on the Wallet Drain That Comes With the Confusion of Not Knowing How Much to Leave
LONDON–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) – Cheapflights UK, the UK’s leading website for flight search and comparison saves travellers time, confusion and money with its latest guide on tipping around the world in time for the summer holidays.
“Knowing how much to tip can save travellers a lot more than the embarrassment of not being familiar with their destination’s customs, it can also save them money,” says Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert for Cheapflights.co.uk.
“Tipping can get expensive, so knowing which situations require tipping, and what percentage of tip to leave can often lead to better service and a bigger budget to spend on fun or personal items,” says Hallak.
Having explored some of the world’s most popular regions for travel, the website offers a comprehensive tipping guide on the various countries and continents. Here we preview three of them:
Caribbean
Many all-inclusive hotels and resorts in the Caribbean discourage tipping. In general, the accommodation rate includes all tipping and service charges. All-inclusive can mean different things at different hotels however. If you’re unsure what to tip, check with the concierge. At sit-down restaurants: there’s often a 10 percent gratuities included, but an extra tip can be left for exceptional service. Tip $1 per drink or 15 percent of a bill at a bar. Give valets a few dollars and cabs drivers $1-2 for in-town fares, and more for nights, holidays, and Sundays. At hotels, tip bellmen $1-2 per day and hotel maid $2 per day.
Australia
Australia is not a tipping culture and some parts of the region actively discourage tipping. These include Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu. However, if you receive service that you consider to be exemplary, a small tip is a good way of showing your appreciation.
Middle East
Tipping is customary in the Middle East. Visitors will find that many countries in the region operate on a system of baksheesh. Have a roll of small bills ready to tip, everyone. In destinations such as Dubai, Israel and Jordan, a service charge is included in the bill, but you are encouraged to tip the waiter on top of that. Be discreet with the tips. Work in the tip with your handshake.
For the full guide to tipping, visit http://news.cheapflights.co.uk/2010/07/top-10-tips-on-tipping-around-the-world/
About Cheapflights Media
The trusted partner in flights, Cheapflights Media is a global Internet media network that has been delivering great deals since 1996. Headquartered in London with offices in Boston and Toronto, Cheapflights Media serves advertisers and consumers through its vast portfolio of Web sites and services. Packed with travel guides, tips and the latest news and information, the Cheapflights sites are online shopping comparison engines that make it easy for consumers in local markets to research, compare and save on domestic and international trips. With brand-name deals on airline tickets from more than 250 partners and 600 airlines and a team of travel experts hand picking the best offerings, Cheapflights offers visitors a mix of deals they can’t find anywhere else. Zugu, the newest brand in the Cheapflights Media portfolio, is a powerful and simple travel search engine that makes it easy to compare and select the lowest available fares online. By organizing flight options by date, airline and time, Zugu helps consumers find the best fares based on their travel terms. There are currently Cheapflights-branded sites for the U.K., U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia & New Zealand, France and Spain. Zugu is available in the U.K. and Germany.
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