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i will be vacationing in italy and i was going to bring some university of texas t- shirts and some caps, etc. i give them to the hotel folks or whomever. what are your thoughts? thanks, gary

I think you should save your money.

Gary.....The best reward for good service anywhere on the planet is ...u guessed it....moolah."Things" are OK.But they will be out of the hands of the intended recipient by midnite.Cash works its way into the pockets quickly and is most universally appreciated.Ciao

Gary- I really have to agree with the other 2 response's ----- don't bring the shirts and cap's they will NOT be appreciated!!!! Bring----- MONEY MONEY MONEY !!!

I agree; NO shirts or hats just MONEY !

NO hats or shirts or any other clothing. Sorry but they will not be a good gift. Bring a few extra US dollars.

Why, in the world, would anyone want Univ. of Texas clothing? They want a gift of cash.

caps never. T shirts, mmm, maybe. I wouldn't give this instead of a tip though. postcards might be appreciated...

The idea of giving clothing and memorabilia has gone away. It used to be a popular way of expressing gratitude for good service in repressive countries such as the old USSR and China in the late 70's and early 80's, but nowdays such things are freely available everywhere. UT T-shirts are so specialized that I doubt you'd find any real interest. (Maybe in Chapel Hill, after that football game ;-) but nowhere else!)

Gary, I know what you are thinking of, as making friends abroad is a nice touch. I am from Hawaii and I always travel with chocolate covered macadamias (About 50 cents to a dollar). The packets have photos of Hawaii scenery on them. I think it's a fab way to spread "aloha" to these faraway places. Chocolates are small and packable, and I can pack a lot. Everyone loves chocolate! As for T shirts and caps, though, I am not sure--seems kind of expensive.

Gary, both times we went to italy, I took postcards of my state- Vermont. These were definitely something that people seemed to enjoy, esp. the foliage ones. I gave them to those who showed great kindnesses, whether at restuarants, in giving me directions, or in those very "out of the way " places. Last yr. I also took a very small (maple leaf shaped) bottle of maple syrup and left it at the hotel I stayed at in Procida (not many american guests) and speaking of money. I took some Vermont quarters, and left them , as a type of sovenier (?spelling) but, I do not think that the Texas ones have come out yet. If I was the concierge, or chambermaid , or waiter, I would appreciate a tip. but, if I was a thoughtful person giving a lost tourist assistance, I would be insulted at being given money. Just my 2 cents.

Gotta go with the others here. Forget the baseball caps & t-shirts. Tip your maid, taxi driver, waiter, concierge, etc. & in Euros not US dollars, while I'm at it. If you were visiting a family you knew and were previously friends with then a gift from your home state might be appropriate. But not for strangers who are doing their jobs in a service industry... then TIP cash.

Do not tip. Not even in money. These people are there for doing the job of serving you. A tip is acceptable only if anyone goes beyond what is their duty to make you conìmfortable or help you out, but in any other case it will easly be preceived as mildly offensive by the Italian crew. And do not bring any kind of gifts such as baeball caps or postcards. We (the Italians) are a well-mannered people, so we will smile and say "thank you, you have been so kind", but there will be thoughts of "disgusting, these people should know that we are no-more third world!". The fact is that Italay has a contraddictory attitude towards the Usa. We all admire it (froma point of view, or rather from different points of view), but we also suffer from a sense of being grown up children that are still treated like babies. At the same time, we are very proud of our history, much longer than the American one. Also, the admiration for the Usa has very different meaning whether it comes froma right-wing person (that will admire Us politics and despise Us culture) and from a left-wing person (who will despise Us politics and admire Us culture). The risk of making false moves is to high, so just behave like we, the Italians, do: do not bring gifts and tip only when someone is really extra nice. One last thing: in Italy waitresses and hotel workers are well-paid, unlike in the Us. They do not depend on tips for their survival, so do not be worried about not leaving a tip, the person who served you already earns a full wage..

i just can't help but tip. as an american, i am so used to tipping and feel as though it is expected even out of my country. when i travel to italy, i do tip for services (unless the service is extremely poor). last year, i tipped with the us sacagawea dollars. this way, for good service, i was able to give $ and something from my country (plus, it is such a pretty coin). the recipients were extremely excited to receive these coins; maybe some thought they were gold!

Frances: On the other hand, they hardly could change these coins, since coins can't be exchanged neither in banks nor in exchange bureaus. Therefore the peple you gave the Sakajawea coins could but keep them as a token from a faraway country.