10 tips on tipping
by James Wysong
I find it interesting that airline passengers are starting to tip their flight attendants. While we are not supposed to take gratuities, many flight attendants do. Is it just an airborne extension of the service economy, or are passengers feeling sorry for our recent wage cuts? As a flight attendant, I find it puzzling. If you’re a passenger and I am charging you $5 for a Bud Light or $10 for a measly sandwich, I certainly don’t expect a tip.
Now, I travel every week, and if I tipped every time I was supposed to, I would be in the poorhouse. Consider the rundown:
> I start the day and the airport shuttle driver gets a tip.
> I get a coffee and there is a tips jar out for the “barista.†(I thought it was a spare-change jar for needed pennies until someone yelled at me for pilfering from it.)
> A tip for the bus ride to the hotel.
> One to the concierge when I ask for directions, another to the porter as he gets me a cab and another to the cab driver.
> I have a drink and the bartender gets his; at the restaurant both the host and waiter get theirs.
> If I am at a fancy restaurant, a tip is extended to the attendant in the restroom (who always makes me feel uneasy).
> Another tip to a cab driver on the way back to the hotel, and can someone tell me when I was supposed to start tipping the hotel maids?
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in gratuities, but keep in mind the original intent, which was to reward good service. Have you ever been treated shabbily and tipped 15 percent anyway? I’ll bet you have. Maybe I am from the old school, but I tip according to the quality of service and have no problem leaving nothing when it is horrible. I have been bluntly asked about a small tip by a waiter, and I had no hesitation explaining myself in detail. It kind of takes the joy out of the evening, but I feel strongly about it.
Tipping overseas is a different matter. In some places it is customary, in others it isn’t, while in a few places, the tip is automatically added to your bill. (Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t that totally defeat the purpose of the tip? If it is added to the bill no matter what, what’s the incentive for good service?)
I remember going on a 14-day cruise and having a blast. When it was over, the “Suggested Tips†sheet was passed around and, wow, I was quickly educated on the big world of cruise tipping.
Here are a few guidelines on tipping when traveling abroad.
1. Don’t go overboard. What seems like a little to you might be a fortune to others. If you are in a poorer country, be sure you know the customary amounts. The locals actually get angry with big tippers for disrupting the economy and their own expectations.
2. Break it up. Keep small bills handy and don’t use the lame but popular pilot excuse, “I only have big bills.â€
3. Hand deliver. Give the tip directly to the person who gave you the outstanding service. Do this even though tips are often pooled and redistributed to employees at the end of the day. That way you know the server has understood your appreciation of the service.
4. Speak through your tip. If you get good service, tip well, if you don’t then don’t, but be prepared to explain if a server approaches you to ask why.
5. Check the fine print. A favorite waiter trick is to fail to inform a group that a 15 percent gratuity will be added to the bill automatically (this is often the case for groups of five or more). The result, of course, is a big, fat, double tip.
6. Run a tab. If you keep a tab going with the bartender and tip only at the end, you will usually save a bundle.
7. Don’t flash the cash. When you are abroad, don’t try to impress the locals with overgenerous tips and big bills. These will only make you a candidate for criminal attention.
8. Take no for an answer. If someone refuses your gratuity, don’t press it. Understand that not everyone is kind just for the money. A big smile could be just the tip they need.
9. Go with your gut. Deep inside, you know when it feels right to give a tip. Remember that some workers depend on tips. Don’t stiff them.
10. My personal tipping quirk. I always tip street musicians as I believe the world needs more music.
The following are countries where it is not customary to tip: Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand.
The following are places where a smaller tip is expected: South America, Italy (usually assessed as a cover charge), Germany (round up when you get change) and England (10 percent at restaurants, and buy the bartender a beer at the pub).
The following countries expect a good tip: Canada, Egypt, Mexico, and the United States. France, by law, automatically adds the gratuity to your bill, which is probably why the waiters in Paris are the rudest servers I have ever experienced.
Better double-check this tipping advice because, believe it or not, I have been wrong before. And that’s one tip you can keep.
http://www.tripso.com/archives/2006/07/tiptip.html
(Wit note: I usually leave some spare colones (1000-1500) on my pillow each morning for the maid. I've had more than 1 stop me in the hall and thank me for "la propina".
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? I thought most people were paid a salary to work at these various places and this is what they get paid for.
A two dollar tip to the maid in CR goes a long way. I find that when I sleep in, I still can get the room clean even in the afternnon... 
Whether you agree or disagree with tipping, the fact is that in Costa Rica many people depend on tips. We're not talking about the U.S.A. here.