Hello all
I was wondering if anyone can give me advice regarding tipping standards in India. I would like to know how much to tip our driver. We have him for 10 days and he will be transporting my family of 4 around the countryside. Also what about porters, waiters, maids, taxi drivers, etc?
Thanks for your help.

You can either tip him at the end of each day or make a consolidated tip after 10 days. My recommendation would be a basis of 100-150 rupees per day. Note that $1= approx. 45 rupees.

Restaurant tipping in India is not like in the USA where 10-20% is expected. A formal tip in India in a fancy restaurant would range from 150-300 rupees regardless of the actual amount of the bill. For porters, waiters, taxi drivers etc., 50 rupees should do.

Thank you very much for the advice. In the fancy restaurants is it 150-300 per person or for the table?

Tip about Rs 100 to 150 per table in a fancy restaurent will do. (this is a very big tip per Indian standard).

Haven't been to India so I don't know but when I tip, I give 15-20% of the service rendered or the $ amount (converted into their currency) whichever is greater, as long as it's reasonable, e.g., if you'll normally give US$10 as tip and your conversion amounts to only $7, what's $10, esp. if you get impeccable service. If in a bind, this might help. As to the bellhop ($1 or $2/luggage), cleaning ladies ($2 each morning; I'd say more if you are plenty in the room)-- all converted in the country's currency.

I would second Agtou's reccos; I would note that many restaurants will include a service charge on the bill, whether you want to leave cash for the waiter (who may not actually get any of the service charge) is up to you. There is almost always a service charge added to your hotel bill, again whether you want to leave cash for maids is up to you, Agtaou's guide of 50 Rupees would be my suggestion, but that would be per day not per stay. You can always leave more of course.

Also note that at many sights e.g. the Taj Mahal you will be required to remove your shoes and leave them in an area which will be "guarded" by someone, you should leave him a tip too, but 10 Rupees per pair is sufficient. Small change is very helpful, these come in note form generally in India and you should try to get as many as you can in 10 and 50 note denominations.

I always get some small change at the hotel cashier for tips. Often there may be 2 people taking your bags etcc and I make sure to tip each separately. I usually tip 50 rupee for bags each person and 50-100 for a taxi deoending on how long I have the taxi and if they wait for me between appointments. Aslo i still leave some cash even if the tip is included on the bill. Just remember there can be a few people in a job that one may do in wurope or America but it provides jobs for more people and I feel you have to support this so I tip 2 people if they help me. Also I keep 20 rupee notes if I am asked for money by beggars and i see they need it. I usually only give to older people and mostly women as I know its more difficult for them.

"Haven't been to India so I don't know but when I tip, I give 15-20% of the service rendered or the $ amount (converted into their currency) whichever is greater"

- Richsuguys, if you haven't been to India and are unaware of local practice, why offer advice? 15-20% is AMERICAN practice and as such has NO necessary relevance elsewhere. Many American service staff rely on tips to make up a reasonable take-home pay because they're paid a pittance. This is NOT the case in many other countries. You should NOT tip at this rate in countries where waitstaff et al. are paid a living wage. Always adhere to local standards, as I'm sure you'd wish the rest of us to adhere to yours, not ours, when visiting the USA.

I don't understand why you cannot tip as much when you're in a different country, esp. in a Third world country. For me, it's not only the joy of travelling but also the pleasure of being able to help the less fortunate and that's one opportunity to be able to help in anyway you can. And of course, to each his own.

rich - before we beat this seriously decayed equine again, maybe it would help for you to read this: fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34949840

Relax you guys if you check Richsuguys history you'll find it is someone having a day of being the troll