As any avid traveller will tell you, one of the hardest things to work out when on holiday is how much to tip your server in a country that expects tipping.
In Australia, most service workers earn a ‘liveable’ minimum wage, which means tipping isn’t generally expected here. However, in places like America, where service staff work for tips rather than a decent wage, you need to know what’s an acceptable tip and what isn’t. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Unfortunately, most service staff won’t tell you how much they expect for fear of coming across as rude or impolite. In fact, a survey of 22,000 people by restaurant reservation service Open Table found that 50% of Australians feel confused about tipping when on overseas holidays and 1 in 5 Australians will leave a restaurant without tipping when on holiday. Luckily, Open Table also did their homework and created a tipping guide for when you’re on holiday, and have no idea how to tip.
Here’s a list of some of the most popular destinations among Australians travellers, and how you should tip when you visit.
1. London, Great Britain
“In the UK, it isn’t compulsory to tip and sometimes a service charge is included. If not, British diners generally leave 10-15% to show their appreciation.”
2. Denpasar, Indonesia
“A gratuity isn’t expected in Indonesia but leaving loose change is welcomed and not considered culturally inappropriate.”
3. Los Angeles, United States
“In the US, the tips are typically generous. At restaurants Americans generally tip a minimum of 15-20% and $1 for every drink ordered.”
4. Paris, France
“In France it’s considered flashy to tip for no good reason. Restaurants tend to add the phrase ‘service compris’ to the end of bills which is the 15% service charge required by French law for taxation purposes.”
5. Singapore
“There is no obligation to tip in Singapore and some restaurants will add a non-optional service charge.
6. Thailand
“In Bangkok, there’s usually a 10% service charge at most hotels and high-end restaurants. If service charge isn’t included in the bill then tourists usually round up to the closest 20 Baht or tip up to 10%.”
7. Portugal
“The study reveals that the gratuity expectations when dining out in Faro are significantly lower than the other top 5 holiday destinations. In fact, Portuguese people don’t traditionally tip at restaurants. Almost a quarter of Portuguese diners (23%) unveiled that they consider a 1-2% tip an acceptable tip for good service, when dining out.”
8. Netherlands
“The average tipping percentage that UK travellers should be leaving in the Netherlands’ capital this summer is 5-10% according to majority (44%) of Dutch diners.”
9. Italy
“The Italians are used to the American custom of tipping when dining out, however tipping in Italy is considered a “bonus,” so the amount should reflect the level of service.”
11. Canada
“Closely following the Americans, Canadians are known for leaving large tips when happy with their restaurant service. When taking a trip to Canada, do as the Canadians (33%) do and leave the average tip of 15-16%.”
You might also like:
Common mistakes Australians make when visiting America
5 destinations you can visit for less than $500
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