How much should one tip a private tour guide for a full day of touring/driving in Israel?

Depending on your currency, I would have thought that the equivalent of £15, $20 might be acceptable, providing they do a good job. If they don't, then nothing.

I think it depends upon how you hired your guide. If you hired the guide directly and are paying them and they are receiving ALL the monies paid then an extra tip is usually not necessary. I say usually because if you priced guides ( to be hired directly) and hired the least expensive and the guide turns out to be absolutely fantastic you may want to give more money--depending upon how inexpensive your guide was.

If you hired a guide through an agency--a good portion of what you paid is going to the agency. Depending upon the guide I would give $50 and up extra. The above mentioned $20 is, IMO very cheap. Hey--I go for a one hour massage and tip $10, my manicure/pedicure person gets $5, so to tip someone who just spent a minimum of 8 hours with me only $20 if they are really good.....

<Depending upon the guide I would give $50 and up extra>

I think that's wildly excessive as a tip. You need to look at how much the trip is costing you and express it as a % and I don't see a day trip costing $350+ being realistic. If that's what you're paying then why worry about what a tip costs?

My $20 estimate is based on a trip costing a max of $150 to $200. Maybe US citizens like to flash the cash in these circumstances, especially those who take massages and pedicures?

You are not going to get a licensed tour guide for $150-$200 a day. It just doesn't happen.

Your comment re: Americans---inappropriate and unnecessary. I dont' know about the people in the UK but in the US a massage, manicure, pedicure is not necessarily a luxury. Personally, I give up other things to afford mine. ie. I actually cook versus take out!!!

We (2 families of 4, with adult children) are going on a 10 day trip in early June. We hired a certified private guide directly (not through agency) for $600/day (including transportation, airport transfers, etc). Do we need to tip her as well since we are doing this directly.

Hiring a private tour guide is the same as hiring any other service provider. If you are pleased with the service and believe that it was better than average, better than what you expected then a tip will always be appreciated. Like anything else, you are not compelled to tip - it is your decision. It is also your decision how much you want to tip. This has nothing to do with the manner in which you hired a guide. True, if you reached the guide through an agent, the agent will take their commission and the guide will get less than you are paying. However, if you hire a guide privately, the guide has higher overhead costs and probably invested more time in planning and fine tuning your itinerary and took care of many details planning your visit.

Sorry Ramzi, but your post is far from accurate.

to begin with a tip is just that - something extra and no one is ever obliged to tip.

Tour companies provide a useful service for people who prefer to have someone else arrange things for them, or don't want the additional expense of a private guide. The tour companies all pay their licensed guides a set fee, which may not be enough, but that is the agreed fee they pay.

There are pluses and minuses to everything - including how to arrange a tour.