1) Re Chamber maids : on an international basis, I would say that one or two US dollars per day is correct. It also depends on the quality of service and wether the lady (or the man) has been particularly helpful (delivering on time your laundry for instance). <BR> <BR>2) Re Taxis : it is true that cab drivers are entitled to charge additional amounts per piece of luggage + train station pick-up. In that case I will add a 10% tip to the global amount. <BR>It also depends (of course) on how gracious the cab driver was. They can sometimes be in an horrible mood... <BR>If it is a long drive (for instance getting to Roissy Airport from central Paris), then you do not have to tip that much. I have applied the same rule in many countries and it seems to be OK. <BR> <BR>3) Re Restaurants : if you pay by credit card, you just have to wait to get your receipt back and then leave the tip on the "plate". If you are paying cash and are short of change, the waiter will be more than happy to find the required change for you.

Cindy, Joelle's approach here seems reasonable. I usually tip the equivalent of 2 bucks of day to the maid, then at the end leave a dollar for each day I've stayed. This is just how I do it; not sure what the "official" method should be. (I didn't mean to make this a big topic; just wanted to remind people about the maids.) <BR> <BR>BTW, Richard, thanks for mentioning that waitpeople may not get their tip if it's added to a charge. This is something I'll remember.