opsgirl

I have worked in the whitewater rafting and skiing industry. Many times, the entire fee you pay goes to the company owners, while often times the "workers" are paid minimally and rely on tips to make a living wage. This is good for consumers, as it encourages your guides to do their best to make sure all aspects of your trip or activity are as good as possible. While I agree that an unfriendly or unhospitable host shouldn't get a good tip (if any at all), it is not unusual to tip the guide/pilot/worker that helped to make your trip enjoyeable. Just like a waitperson in a restaurant, the better the service, the better the tip. And just like waiters/waitresses, many recreational employees earn a pittance as an hourly wage. I once worked as a lodge worker at a whitewater lodge- and made $25.00 a day in salary (and it was one of the most physically demanding jobs I've ever had). We received tips from the guests based on the cleanliness of the lodge, our food and service, and by accomodating special requests. Many of the small companies have to keep their prices "low" to encourage business, and generally low wages is one of the way they keep overhead low as well. Tipping is a win/win for everyone...keeps trip costs down for the customer, keeps overhead down for owners, and encourages good service from the employees.

Just an aside....although some operators get a little too blatant about the request for tips, the reason they joke about it is so that people know it's ok and appropriate to tip if you feel like it. If they didn't tell, many people would be unsure (just like some of us reading/answering this post!)

JazzyChick

I'm back from my Napa trip! It was overcast and rather gloomy the first day there, so my husband and I dutifully called the balloon company by 5pm for our schedule flight the next morning. They said, "Sure, we're still on - in fact, we flew this morning." I was surprised given there was no "sunrise" and rather low-lying clouds when we arrived in Napa that morning.

So, we get up at 4:45am to be at the balloon take-off site by 6am. Most everyone is there when they announce that due to fog conditions, they won't be flying over vineyards; instead, they'd drive us 40 minutes away to a new site not fogged in and we'd fly over ... agricultural pastures. They said it was beautiful because they'd flown over it that morning. (!) My husband and I were not happy about this, so we left. Mind you, we weren't upset about flying over a pasture per se (we understand the safety issue). We were upset because when I called at 5pm the previous day, they NEGLECTED to tell me that they did NOT fly over Napa Valley when it had fogged over, but rather over those pastures. Had we known that, we'd have slept in. So here's a tip for you: when you confirm with your balloon company the day before, ask where they flew that morning and what conditions are anticipated for the next morning.

So, I'm sorry to say that we never got a chance to fly over the vineyards last weekend as we had plans the other mornings. Instead we put all $400 toward purchasing lots of wine!!! We'll enjoy a bit of Napa Valley for months to come - much longer than an hour balloon ride. But we'll still attempt the balloon trip again next summer/fall. I hear it is indeed a great experience.

travlsolo2

We're just back from our roadtrip, and my DH and I did the balloon ride over Sedona (actually a little south of Sedona) on Sept 13. The pilot and his crew chief picked us up at our motel at 5:25AM, then we picked up 3 other people, then drove to the launch site where they were launching four balloons at sunrise. There were 5-7 people per balloon. It was awesome! We went up high, then we skimmed trees, we saw deer and jack rabbits, and it was gorgeous weather. We loved it! After we descended, we were driven to a central site where we heard a little speech, were served strawberries and cream, a cruller, and champagne and orange juice. Also received a first-flight certificate, and had the opportunity to buy a t-shirt or a hat. Also, at this point, our pilot ran our credit card, then brought it for us to sign -- he had filled in the $360, said there was no tax, then gave it to us to total and sign. There was a space for a tip, just like in a restaurant.....and because he and the crew chief had been really interesting and nice -- I added a tip before I totaled it. I assume everybody else did, too, although I don't know for sure. Anyway, it was an amazing experience and I'm glad we did it.
Jazzy -- what a bummer that you didn't get your balloon flight -- but it sounds like that $400 was put to good use!

Symiakos

We've just arrived back from our sunrise hot air balloon ride over Lancaster County, PA and from what I've just read above, we may have over tipped. But who cares? It was my wife's birthday and she so much wanted to ride in a hot air balloon. It was a private ride, we had never done it before, the reservations were accepted the day before. So, I guess how much you should tip really depends on you and the over all experience and enjoyment it brings. We tipped the pilot 10% and his one man crew upon landing an additional 5%.

spirobulldog

I am not suprised by the tip or them mentioning it. Here are some situations I have been in. They have always annoyed me and left me wondering what I should have done.

Alaska-Salmon Fishing-cost about$400pp per day and their advertisement said tip for guide not included

Alaska Helicopter ride with glacier landing and dog sledding
Cost $900 for about a 4 hour event-they didn't mention tipping here

Rafting the Grand Canyon for a short 4 day trip
Cost around $600pp tipping the guide 3-5% was mentioned as a suggestion in the advertisement and several times by the guide himself

Canyoneering in Utah cost around $100pp- no tipping was mentioned

Zipline in Durango- Cost around $300pp- they had a super strict policy of no tipping whatsoever

Small airplane ride over Canyonlands national park-cost $150pp-no tipping was mentioned

Tips have always bothered me. Doesn't matter whether it is a $10 cab ride, a $100 meal, or a $1000 hot air balloon ride. I think employers should pay their employees a fair amount no matter what the situation is. Even tipping at a beauty salon is wierd. My wife has never tipped her beautician of 30 years. My mom has always tipped hers.

RoamsAround

We did the bi-plane ride over the Napa Valley and it never occurred to me to give the pilot a tip. He was the proprietor/owner of the plane - he set the price which I assumed covered his costs and gave him a reasonable profit. He flew the plane, he landed the plane - exactly what he was getting paid to do. Ergo: No tip necessary. I suspect it should be the same with ballooning.

Here's my "ask for tip" story: A few years ago my wife and I were visiting Victoria Falls in Africa and went on an "Elephant Safari" where we rode an elephant through the bush looking for wildlife while the owner of the company walked along side us as a "guide" with a rifle for protection. As we neared the end of the trek my "handler" turned to me and said "We are coming to the end of the safari and this will be the last time you see me before you leave" I took that to be a request for a tip. After we dismounted a second group of "handlers" gave us some food to feed the elephants that we had just rode. As we were finishing up one of the men quietly told me it "would be the last time we see him and his assistants" (almost the exact same wording as the "elephant driver"). I reached in my pocket for another tip. We were then escorted back to the office area where the owner had another person bring out a cool drink, some local snacks and a big glass jar clearly marked in big letters "TIPS" - so I put a few buck in the jar. We were then escorted to our waiting taxi when the owner whispered it was customary to tip the "guide". After shelling out 3 different tips and having already paid him a lot more than the ride was worth I pretended I didn't hear him, closed the door of the taxi and drove away.

k_dawg

The tipping is more for the ground crew who sets up, chases/follows, the balloon and then packs it up. I worked as a hot air balloon ground crew for several years and the pilot would always give the tips to the crew, and some would just split the whole tip evenly. The crew job can be hustling hard work packing/unpacking the 400 lb+ balloon and heavy basket. Mostly composed of young guys not making a whole lot of money so tips are very appreciated. We always tried really hard to pack up as fast as possible to get everyone back to their cars quickly. I would say tip the crew for working hard and making the whole adventure timely and safe because often times the balloons land in somewhat hairy and unexpected situations.

jamie99

old thread

NeoPatrick

Too funny. I was about to say "Patrick got it right" then I realized that was me 10 years ago.

Can anyone explain why k_dawg revived this ancient thread to say what was already said?

janisj

>>Can anyone explain why k_dawg revived this ancient thread to say what was already said?