tipping on coach tour..

MrsE_2

mich_city wrote: »

thanks!

we are doing this one - http://www.cosmostourama.co.uk/product-detail/906/17/0 gonna be a long slog on the coach but no way either of us could drive that distance.. tesco deals paid for a good whack of it

Sounds great, how much & how long do you have to spend in tesco to pay for a holiday like that??

abacab

We are going on the Western Treasures trip too in October.Tesco paid for it all.The tip envelopes sound like a scam.
There is a section on the Cosmos site about tipping driver/courier and it isnt that much.
At the end of the day you tip what you can afford and what you think they deserve.
Edit The info on the Cosmos site IS that much.But too much for me.

spender

We did Virgin holidays Western Discovery Tour last month. Absolutely fantastic and even better paid for with Tesco clubcard vouchers:j

However when we booked you could use your vouchers to pay the taxes and fuel supplement this has now changed and you have to use cash. However still not bad.

CCFC_80

I have been on several cosmos usa trips in the past and the recommendations for tipping are ridiculous!
$6 a day to the driver and guide ! Do these people not get paid a wage ?
On several tours I and fellow travellers gave nowhere near that amount.
Even if you gave the guide and the driver $5 for the whole trip that would still amount to around $200 dollars for each after every tour.
I personally think giving $5 each and everyone else the same is more then generous.

Bob_the_Saver

I've never been paid a tip, I get wages instead. I DON'T TIP

flea72

the problem here is you are basing it on an etiquette system you are used to in the UK

In the US service industry, wages are set at a level, where if staff do the job expected of them, the tips should mean they are earning the true rate for that job. Ok if staff dont live up to expectations, then the tip shouldnt be given, but again, it shouldnt be withheld, just because the person didnt go above and beyond what the role called for

here in the UK a tip is viewed as a reward, rather than a 'thank you'

Flea

aliasojo

flea72 wrote: »

the problem here is you are basing it on an etiquette system you are used to in the UK

In the US service industry, wages are set at a level, where if staff do the job expected of them, the tips should mean they are earning the true rate for that job.

I agree with you here, the US do treat tips differently to us. However if someone simply can't afford the suggested rate (and how many of us could happily shell our $280 and not have it affect our holiday budget) then that's just tough on the employee I'm afraid.

Maybe it's time the US peeps started campaigning for better wages and then the tip system wouldn't be so prevalent. Mind you, employers are not going to go for that if they can get away with the rest of us making up their employee's wage, are they? :rolleyes:

lkmc01

I would never tip, they get paid, end of

flea72

aliasojo wrote: »

However if someone simply can't afford the suggested rate (and how many of us could happily shell our $280 and not have it affect our holiday budget) then that's just tough on the employee I'm afraid

but as its normality in the US, then perhaps people should allow for this in their budgeting. Also their tip requirement for the holiday wont just be the driver and guide, at every establishment they go to for sitdown food/drink, the staff will be relying on tips

I agree it seems alot (espec when quoted in $) what the company is suggesting for the driver/guide, but in relation to the overall cost of the holiday, it isnt that great

Also someone quoted, if all the people on the bus, paid the recommended amount then the staff would earn £1500 on top of their wages. Maybe they dont have a basic pay, its tips only

i know before i go on holiday, i check out the tipping customs for that country

Flea

violetta

Our guide was efficient but curt the whole of the holiday, keeping us all at arms length, until the last day or two, when he became suddenly more approachable and friendly - I wonder why?? :rolleyes: