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The practical guide to tipping on tour

7/2/2017

Tipping. Its is a common part of the travel and tourism industry. We in the US are very accustomed to tipping, we tip our servers, hair dressers, and Uber drivers. New group leaders always ask me about the best way to handle tips while on tour. Worry no more! I have complied a list of my top suggestions to handle tipping, as the group leader, on your tour. In the end, you have to do what works best for you. Check out my list below and love it or leave it!

The most important thing: Collect the tip money BEFORE your tour.

It is no secret that teenagers are not known for their money budgeting skills. If you wait to collect the money while on tour, you will come up short. You don't want to be left covering the tips, or worse: shorting your Tour Director and Bus Drivers.

Take the time at one of your pre-departure meetings to collect tip money from everyone in your group. This is a fail safe way to make sure that you will have the tip covered before arriving on tour.

How much should I collect?

A good rule of thumb that I use for all my tours is $10 per traveler per day of the tour. So, if my tour is nine days, I collect $90 from each of my travelers (free spot/chaperones included).

That breaks down to:
$6 per day per traveler for the Tour Director
$3 per day per traveler for the Bus Driver
$1 per day per traveler to cover local guides, and possible bus transfers to the airport.

What is the best way to collect the money from my group?

I like to create envelopes for each traveler. I print out labels for each one that has the (1) traveler's name (2) amount due (3) due date. I pass out the envelopes at my first pre-departure meeting, and ask them to return on or before our 3rd meeting. (Just a side note, I have a total of four pre-departure meetings, click here to learn more about those). Why the 3rd meeting, you might ask? Well, I like to give my groups time to provide the cash, but there is always someone who forgets to turn their envelope in at the 3rd meeting, and that gives me a chance to collect from the "stragglers" at our fourth meeting. I learned the hard way, not to wait until the last minute!

What currency should I collect and tip in?

I always collect the tip amount in the US Dollar from my groups, and ask them to provide their individual amount in cash (to make my life a little easier).

On tour, I like to tip in the local currency. This is not required, and many group leaders will tip in the USD. It is personal preference, as I assume that the Tour Director and Bus Drivers probably appreciate receiving their own currency. This means that I will exchange the currency before my tour. I realize that comes with fees, and sometimes, an unfavorable exchange rate. Again, exchanging the currency is not required, just a little something extra I like to do.

I've collected all the money, now what?

Now that you have all of the tip money, you have a couple of options for how you want to actually handle the cash over seas. Here are the two most common methods for handling all that tip money while on tour:

1. Carry all the cash with you, and lock it up in the hotel safe. This is what I do. It makes me a nervous wreck to carry so much money with me on tour. I purchased one of those money waist belts, and I strap it to my body! I divvy out the money in small envelopes (for the Tour Director, Bus Drivers, and Local Guides) before I leave, and I like to keep it that way until I'm on tour. You can also split the money up between trusted adults on your tour, if that makes you feel better. I have even heard of some Group Leaders, giving the Tour Director 1/2 of the tip upon arrival (so that they don't have to carry it around for the duration of the tour), and then paying the rest on the last day of the tour.

2. Deposit the money, and then withdraw from the ATM while on tour. While this method is safer, you will need to double check with your bank that you will have ATM availability, and that you will be able to withdraw a large amount, and it not be mistaken for fraud. My daily limit at the ATM is around $250, so this method wouldn't work for me.

In the end, you need to do what works best for you. Talk with your Tour Consultant if you have concerns about tipping.

What to avoid.

Stay away from Gift Cards and Travelers Cheques. While they both seem like safe options, they make it difficult for the Tour Director to use, and often come with fees upon usage. Imagine if you were given payment for your job with a gift card, that might not work internationally, and charged you every time you used it. Just as everywhere else in the world...cash is the best way to show appreciation!

How do you handle your tip money on tour? I'd love to hear about it! Comment below, and let me know!

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The practical guide to tipping on tour

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