Don’t forget to factor in tips when building travel budget

Depending on your travel plans, tipping can add a little, or a lot, to your vacation expenses.

In some countries, tips are not expected. Some major tourist destinations in the U.S. impose mandatory gratuities because international visitors aren’t used to tipping. Whenever you travel to an international destination, it’s a good idea to study up on tipping etiquette before you leave.

Restaurant tips

When you dine out, check your bill to see if a tip is included. Mandatory tips often are imposed when there are more than five people in your party, but I’ve seen them added when there were only two people. Some servers circle added tips on the bill to make it very visible, but that is not always the case.

These days a lot of restaurants use computer systems that will calculate a tip. When you swipe your credit card, you typically are given the option of giving a 15, 20 or 25 percent tip. I typically tip 18 percent, unless service is outstanding.

If it’s terrible and if I’m not given the choice of 18 percent, I lower the tip to the automated 15 percent. If I’m at a self-service or buffet restaurant, I’m not going to tip the minimum automated amount of 15 percent.

Tipping at hotels

When it comes to hotels, there are employees who may expect a tip. When I traveled with my family as a child, my mom always left a few dollars every day for the room cleaner. Today, lots of people skip this, or they leave a tip at the end of the week.

If you do it every day you’ll know the person who is cleaning your room is getting the tip, but if you wait until the end of your stay, a different employee may get the entire tip. Some hotels are adding a mandatory tip for room cleaning, so ask about automatic gratuities when you check in.

I often ask for help from the hotel concierge. If it’s a simple question, there is no need to tip. If I’m looking for show tickets, and the concierge can get me good ones, I am happy to tip more than 20 percent. The better the seats and the show, the bigger the tip. I know the concierge may get a little kickback from the theater, but when I am happy, I will tip.

Bugged about luggage

I do get a little annoyed when hotel bellhops ask if I want my roller bag carried to my room. By the time I arrive at the hotel, I have managed to make it through two airports with my rolling bag, and now I can’t roll it onto an elevator and down a hall to my room?

There are times when I am happy to tip for luggage help. If I have large bags that are not on wheels, I like to have the bellhop’s help and I will tip up to a few dollars per bag. If I’m checking bags curbside, I will also tip $1 to $3 per bag, and I’ll do the same if I’m taking a shuttle and the driver handles my luggage for me.

Cruising for dollars

Cruise lines used to be so bold that they left envelopes in your cabin and told you how much money you should leave for employees. These days, many cruise lines add a $12 mandatory tip, per passenger, per day, to cover tips for ship employees.

In addition, there is usually a mandatory 15 percent tip on adult beverages. By the time you leave the ship, you could end up paying more than $100 in tips that are not included in the room rate.

We are seeing mandatory tips more often these days, so check your bill carefully. You don’t want to eat into your vacation budget by double tipping.

(Tom Parsons is CEO of www.bestfares.com. Email him at media@bestfares.com.)

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