As retired teachers on a fixed income with never a raise, my husband and I struggle with this every time we travel.We aren't scrooges, but we have to be careful with our savings.Often the suggested tipping guide is just too much for our travel budget.We tip what we can afford.If that is not acceptable to the receiver, he/she can certainly return it to us.We can use the extra money.

Don;t know why you resurrected this ancient thread - but IMHO you should travel in a way you can afford. This is like going to an expensive restauarat and tipping less because the food costs more. You have the option to go to a less expensive restaurant and pay the usual tip. It's not fair to stiff the serving staff because you want to live above your income.

There are always options to travel for less - so you're paying your way and not stiffing those who are working hard themselves.

I have to disagree with nytraveler.If you work and save for your dream trip,it seems unreasonable to think you should take a less desired trip because of tipping concerns.

I agree with nyt. And why resurrect a five-year-old thread?

Excellent point. I'm new to this forum, didn't look at the dates, and actually didn't realize this was a 5 year old thread. Sorry about that.

Don't feel bad, I think most of us have made that mistake at some point. I didn't pick up on it when I first opened the thread, took me a couple of posts to look at the date.

Karen,
This is a cultural issue as well as an industry issue. Many European countries and Australia are "service compris"; the posted price includes all VAT and other taxes and gratuity. In the US, tax rates vary from state to state so price rarely includes sales tax. Regarding gratuity, of course travel companies pay guides and tour directors. However what they are doing by not including the gratuity, they put YOU in charge of that money.

In other words, a steak in a restaurant costs $48 including service. The restaurant charges you $40, and PUTS YOU IN CONTROL of the $8.00. The server knows this, and it acts as an incentive to give excellent service. If you put that $8.00 in your pocket, you are violating the cultural unspoken assumption between you and the server.

Tour directors receive a small hourly wage, and $6.00 per day, per person for a 13 hour day. When you examine it as the final dollar amount "it sounds like a lot". However when you consider the logistics, the confirmations, the meal planning, the entire bell curve of human behavior a tour director must be trained to cope with professinally, is $6/day still, "seem like a lot?
Maybe someone thinKS your paycheck, "sounds like a lot". Remember, the cost of the gratuity has been removed from the final cost of the tour; YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THAT MONEY. I urge you to do the right thing to assure continued presence of quality tour professionals remaining in the business. The WORST is to give a tour director an excellent rating, but not the full recommended grarity AT A MINIMUM. It is as legitimate expense as airfare, hotel and meals. Final example: you are an engineer. Your boss comes to you after two weeks and says, "Karen, you are an excellent engineer and you did a great job over the last two weeks. In exchange for your excellent work, I am now going to pay you one half of your pay." Would you be OK with that?

Once you put the cultural more into proper context and understand what is actually happening with the economics, it changes the picture a little. Unless of course you are just looking for a way to ease your conscience about stiffing your tour director to save a few bucks, claiming ignorance or feeling it is "excessive". Classy, seasoned travelers tip, a different kind of person does not.

And why resurrect a five-year-old thread?

Because tipping and how much remains a relevant subject, that's why?

"Classy, seasoned travelers tip, a different kind of person does not."

Bollocks

This resurrected necro-post refers to a holiday IN IRELAND.

Pontificating Yanks tip -partly to demonstrate their wealth, and partly because their society underpays people. Culturally imperialist Yanks want to export their repulsive social norms to the civilised world.

To delude yourself that such behaviour demonstrates being "Classy, seasoned travelers" in fact demonstrates self-centred insularity of Trump-like proportions.

Or maybe Jokerwotsit just can't read.

"Pontificating Yanks tip -partly to demonstrate their wealth,"

Well, flanner sure nailed me and my motivations. That's exactly why I tip. In fact, I usually leave a note with the tip, saying, "I make more money than you do."

"Culturally imperialist Yanks want to export their repulsive social norms to the civilised world."

Correct again. In fact, we have secret pre-travel meetings to plot our exporting of repulsive social norms. In my particular cabal, we're required to report back on our successes. (Failures risk being booted from the group.)