Tipping in the States is a way of life.It shouldn’t matter what the customs are in your home country, when on American soil your should respect the tipping culture. The following is a top 5 guide to tipping for anyone visiting the beautiful country on American holidays
1. Have some dollars ready. $10 worth of $1 dollar notes should be carried in your wallet at any one time so make sure you ask for a little extra at the currency exchange. This will make it easy to give whatever value of tip you want without having to ask for change. Although requesting change is quite commonplace also so don’t be shy about asking if you need to
2. Bars. It is common to tip around a dollar a drink at the bar but if you are ordering three or more drinks then you don’t have to keep to the $1 per drink rule, just give a reasonable amount. If you are seated and your drinks are served to you by a member of staff at your table then look to add $10 on to the total at the end of the night
3. Restaurants. This one is really determined by the version of eating joint you are at. The more formal eating places normally expect a tip of around 20-25% of the total, whilst take-aways and self service you should look to add around 15%.If the service goes beyond what you were expecting or the staff were particularly useful then do add a little on the tip to thank them for their efforts.
4. Bags.A tip of $1 per bag is the standard for porters who bring your luggage up to your room. This quite a strong rule of thumb but you can always tip more if the service was great or there was a lot of effort involved for the porter. $3-$4 should be given the helpers who carry your luggage at the airport
5. Poor service. If you are not happy with the standard of service then don’t feel you have to tip. Your choice should be explained to those in charge though. Most service providers want to hear where they can improve and won’t be offended. Florida holidays staff are particularly humble.