It can be confusing so look up the Country you are travelling to find and out the etiquette.
This Article is from the Sunday Times Travel and Conte Nast so the currency is US Dollars
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
At Restaurants
10–15 percent for the waiter.
At Hotels
$1 per bag (in either Australian or New Zealand dollars, depending on where you are); $10–$20 to the concierge for a favour; $1–$5 per day to the housekeeper, depending on how messy you are.
Guides and Drivers
$5 for cabdrivers; $20–$50 per person for a private guide; $5–$10 for a bus-tour guide; $25–$50 per day for a private driver.
Who Else? 10–15 percent for beauty and spa treatments; tip Aboriginal and Maori guides exactly what you would others.
CANADA
At Restaurants
As in the United States, the gratuity isn’t included, so tip the standard 15 to 20 percent, depending on the service.
At Hotels
Concierges who go out of their way for you should get $10 to $20 per favour; porters get $1 or $2 per bag. Housekeepers get $5 per day. “Leave something for them daily,”
Guides and Drivers: Tip them $10–$15 per person per day.
Taxi drivers get 10 to 15 percent.
CAMBODIA
At Restaurants
About $1 per diner for the waiter.
At Hotels
$1–$2 dollars per bag for the porter; service charge included for everything else at nice hotels.
Guides and Drivers
About $1 for taxis; $5 per day for private drivers; $10–$20 per person per day for tour guides.
Dollars Accepted? Yes. “Bring them to each hotel” for the porters, who consider them good luck—because of their rarity.
CARIBBEAN
At Restaurants
If it’s outside your resort package, check the bill to see if the gratuity is included. If not, tip 15 to 20 percent depending on the service. You’re not expected to tip at all-inclusive resorts.
At Hotels
Assuming there is a service charge, you might still tip the concierge for special favours. Tip bellboys a few dollars per bag and maids $20 for a week’s work, especially if you get to know them.
Increasingly, you may end up with a butler at top resorts, regardless of whether you want or need him.
Guides and Drivers
Most Caribbean tourists, when not vegetating on a beach, go off on bus tours and tip the guide a couple of dollars, but if you take a private tour, tip your guide about $25 and your driver about 15 percent for the day. Ask a taxi driver what it will cost to take you here and there for a day, then tip 15 percent on top of that.
If you charter a boat, they’ll include the service charge, but if the captain takes you to 47 different little coves and jumps overboard to show you a conch, you can tip more.
For spa treatments, tip 15–20 %
CHINA
China, like many Asian countries, comes from a no-tipping culture. At a restaurant frequented by locals, you don’t leave a tip; the same holds true for a hotel dominated by the domestic travel industry. But if you’re staying at a hotel that caters predominantly to luxury overseas visitors, the luggage boy is waiting around for a tip (say, 5 RMB per bag). Fine hotels and restaurants in China may also add a service charge of 10–15 percent, so nothing is expected or even technically allowed beyond that. “It is not in the hotel’s interest to encourage this practice in one aspect of operations,” “No manager in China is assuming that their staff is going to make an income on tips, other than perhaps the luggage boys in certain hotels.” Tip quietly and out of sight if you do—and not in front of employers.
Massage Houses: No tipping.
Luggage Porters: Ten yuan per bag is standard, though tourists generally leave twice that.
CROATIA
At Restaurants
If you’re ordering just coffee or a drink, leave the change. For a quick, casual dinner at a konoba, as taverns are called, leave about 3–5 percent of the bill. For dinner in a nice restaurant, where tips usually are not included, leave about 10 to 15 percent.
At Hotels
Concierges aren’t common, but tip them $5–$10 at a smaller hotel and $10–$20 at a luxury hotel if they do something special for you.Cleaning staff get $1–$2 per day in an envelope at the end of your stay; bellboys get $1 per bag. You might also want to leave the dining-room breakfast staff $1–$2 per day on the table if they’ve taken good care of you.
Guides and Drivers
Tip them separately 10 to 20 percent per day. With taxi drivers, just leave the change.
CZECH REPUBLIC
At Restaurants
There’s usually a service charge, but consider tipping on top of it—up to 15 percent total.
At Hotels
Tip concierges about $20 if they do something really special for you. Bellhops get $1–$2 per bag, cleaning staff $3–$5 a day.
Guides and Drivers
Tip guides $15–$20 per person per day for small groups and $10 per person per day; tip drivers half that. In taxis, round up the fare.
DUBAI
The government mandates adding a 10 percent service charge to all bills at hotels, restaurants, and bars. (Tips are usually divided equally among staff but sometimes go directly to the people who have helped you.)
Parking valets and porters are the exception—they usually get 10 dirhams.
Taxis don’t expect anything, but rounding up to the 5-dirham note is good practice.
FRANCE
At Restaurants
Most locals leave up to 10 percent. Tipping at bars is not expected.
At Hotels
Two euros per bag; one to two euros for a housekeeper; 10–15 euros per restaurant reservation made by a concierge.
Guides and Drivers
About 25 euros per person per day for guides, and up to 50 euros for one who’s nationally certified; a separate driver should get about half of that. Give 10–20 euros for private airport transfers, depending on the driver’s wait time and the in-car amenities, and 10–15 percent tip for taxi drivers.
GERMANY
At Restaurants
10–15 percent to the waiter or bartender—just add it to the bill.
At Hotels
One to three euros per bag for the porter; five euros per night for the housekeeper; 20 euros for a helpful concierge.
GREECE
At Restaurants
It is customary to tip maximum 5–10 percent depending on the amount of the bill (10 percent for an inexpensive bill, and 5 percent for a more expensive meal).
At Hotels
Porters, a euro per bag; housekeepers, a euro a day at most; concierges only for something very special.
Guides and Drivers
No tip expected for taxis—round up and they’ll be delighted; private drivers, 20 euros per day, up to 40 if they’ve gone out of their way. Group tours, 4–6 euros per person; personal tours, 40–60 euros for a full day.
Who Else? It is customary to tip the captain and crew from 5 to 15 percent of the base cost for a yacht charter.
ICELAND
At Restaurants
A 15 percent tip is built in. Overall, there’s no tipping in Iceland,
At Hotels: There is simply no tipping of any sort.
Guides and Drivers
You can give guides about $20 a day and drivers $10, but it’s not expected. “You might treat them to lunch,”
INDIA
At Restaurants
10 percent to the waiter (or a few rupees at more modest establishments), though many posh spots now include a 10 percent service charge.
At Hotels
50 rupees (about $1) per bag for the porter; 250 rupees a night for the (low-paid) housekeeper.
Guides and Drivers
400 to 500 rupees a day for a car and driver. Taxi and rickshaw drivers aren’t accustomed to tips, but you can tell them to keep the change—up to 10 percent.
Who Else? “A lot of hotels now ask that you use a tipping box at the end of your stay rather than tip individuals,”
P.S. Small bills are very easy to get and useful for tipping.
INDONESIA
At Restaurants
A 10 percent tip is included. “The locals will also throw down any loose change,”
At Hotels
A 10 percent service charge is included, “but my understanding from talking to locals is that employees sometimes don’t see it,” If you can hand out a dollar or two here and there to porters and cleaning staff. “It doesn’t mean that much to us, but it means a lot to them.”
Guides and Drivers
Guides should get $25–$40 per couple and drivers half that. Tip taxi drivers about 10 percent.
P.S. If you go rafting or take an elephant ride, a modest tip is greatly appreciated. Ditto for spa services—think 15 percent.
ITALY
At Restaurants
Leave as close to 10 percent as is convenient, but no more.
At Hotels
Porters, 5 euros; housekeepers, 1–2 euros per night, more for extra service.
Who Else? Tipping gondoliers and vaporettos isn’t customary.
JAPAN
Though it’s largely a non-tipping society, providers of certain services may appreciate a tip, but only in yen .Others who may decline your offer of a tip: concierges, porters, and waiters.
Guides and Drivers
For a tour guide, offer 2,500–5,000 yen in an envelope. To tip a cab driver, round up for a very short ride. A private driver will usually expect to have you buy his lunch, around 2,000 to 2,500 yen.
At Hotels
A room attendant at a ryokan—a traditional Japanese inn—usually gets 5,000 yen for one or two nights—always in an envelope.
MALAYSIA
At Restaurants
A 10 percent tip is included, with locals rounding up the bill and leaving the change. You can do the same or leave 10–15 percent more if you’re so inclined.
At Hotels
Tip the bellboys the standard $1 per bag, and cleaning staff $1 a day.
Guides and Drivers
Private guides and/or drivers should get $5–$10 per person per day.
MEXICO
At Restaurants
10–15 percent, cash preferred.
At Hotels
About 10–20 pesos per bag for the porter (you can leave it at check-in if you won’t be there when your bags arrive); 20–50 pesos per night for the housekeeper; minimum 100 pesos for the concierge.
Guides and Drivers
About 100–200 pesos per full day per person for tours, 200–300 pesos per day for combined driver-guide.
P.S. Tip discreetly, in an envelope if possible. If a craftsman gives a demonstration, it’s better to buy a small piece of his work than to tip
RUSSIA
At Restaurants
Give 10 percent in cash directly to the waiter; leave it on the table and management might pocket it.
At Hotels
Porters, $3–$5 per trip made; housekeepers, $2–$3 per night; concierges, $10–$20 for good service.
Guides and Drivers
Always negotiate a fare before you get into a taxi. Cabbies, 10 percent; drivers, $30 per full day; private guides, $50 per full day.
P.S. “A personal touch goes a long way ,writing a heartfelt thank-you note will be as appreciated as the cash accompanying it.”
SCANDINAVIA
Tipping here is fairly formalized; either the service is included in the bill, or tipping isn’t done. Taxi drivers don’t expect tips, and even many porters and coatroom attendants have fixed fees and don’t expect a penny more. Hotel and restaurant bills usually include service charges. Scandinavia is an expensive place, but since you won’t have to shell out much more than you see on the bill, at least you know what you’re getting into.
SINGAPORE
At Restaurants
As in Malaysia, a 10 percent tip is included.
At Hotels
Tip the concierge up to $10 if he does you a special favour like securing hard-to-get restaurant reservations. Bellboys get the standard $1 a bag. Leave cleaning staff a few dollars a day in an envelope if you wish, but it’s not expected.
Guides and Drivers
Guides taking you out for a full day should get $15 to $20 per person, which they will split with the driver, if there is one. With taxi drivers, just round up the fare and leave the change.
Hand cabbies U.S. dollars and they’ll be screaming at you for giving them a hassle.
SOUTH AFRICA
At Restaurants
10–15 percent to the waiter.
At Hotels
A dollar per bag to the porter and per night to the housekeeper; $3–$5 to the concierge.
Guides and Drivers
Taxi drivers, 10 percent; private drivers and tour guides, $25 per person per day,
South African authorities employ “car guards” and airport porters semi-officially to cut down on unemployment; most don’t get salaries and rely on tips. When parking a car, you might be approached by a guard. If he shows identification, he’s probably the real deal. Pay him 15–20 rand when you return; pay an airport porter 20 rand per bag max.
SPAIN
At Restaurants
If the service is good, round up the bill to anywhere from 7 to 13 percent and leave it in cash, not on a credit card. If the service isn’t good you can leave the table without giving a tip and nobody will say a word.
At Hotels
Tip concierges who do you a special favour 5–10 euros, cleaning staff about 5 euros a day (up front if you want them to treat you extra nice), and bellboys about one euro per bag.
Guides and Drivers
Leave guides 30 euros per person per day (up to 40 if they’re really good), drivers half that. With taxi drivers, round up the fare.
SWITZERLAND
At Restaurants
Generally, between 5–10 percent is fair, but not expected.
At Hotels
A service charge is included in the bill, so tip the concierge $10–$20 only if he makes you a special reservation. Hand the cleaning lady $5–$10 on the spot if she goes out of her way for you.
Guides and Drivers
Really good guides get about $40 per person per small group per day, drivers half that. With taxi drivers, tip 5–10 percent or round up the fare.
THAILAND
At Restaurants
About $1 per diner for the waiter.
At Hotels
About $1–$2 per bag for the porter; no tip necessary for the housekeeper or the concierge (service charges are included at hotels of two stars or above).
Guides and Drivers
About $1 for taxis; $2 per day for private drivers; $10–$20 per person per day for tour guides (who also tip tour drivers, so don’t worry about that).
Who Else? If you ever find yourself at a local masseuse, a $3 tip at the end of the massage is about right.
P.S. A common feature in Thailand is the ubiquitous bathroom attendant. Some of them might even throw a towel over a man’s shoulders while he’s at the urinal. Fifty cents, or about 20 baht, should do it there.
USA
At Restaurants
15% on the bill and even barman
At Hotels
The general rule is a dollar per bag for porters ,bellhops ,doorman and parking valets. For housekeeping staff 2-3 dollars a night .
Who Else? Taxi 15% of the fare and Tour Guides around 20%
VIETNAM
At Restaurants
Scan the bill first: The gratuity usually isn’t included, in which case you should leave about 10 percent, preferably in cash, and a bit more if you tip on a credit card. If the gratuity is included, throw a few more bills in on top.
At Hotels
Give the concierge about $20 if he does you a favour (like securing special reservations outside the hotel). Cleaning staff get about $2 a day, left at the end of your stay on the nightstand, where it’s easily visible. You don’t need to tip doormen.
Guides and Drivers
Guides get $15 per person per day and drivers half that, given at your last encounter if you venture out more than one day. You don’t need to tip taxi drivers, but you can round up the fare (so if the fare is 45,000 dong, leave a 50,000-dong bill). Work out the fare in advance with drivers of cyclos, or bicycle carriages, which are common and usually charge about $10 per hour. It’s okay to add on a few dollars’ tip.
P.S. Tip a massage therapist in a fancy spa $5 to $10.