Tipping tips can come in handy

Guidelines for gratuities differ all over the world.
By ALFRED BORCOVER
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
As you're reading this, you can bet that somewhere in the world a traveler is trying to figure out how much to tip a waiter, a taxi driver or a hotel bellman for services rendered.
Tipping, whether at home or abroad, is one of life's bedeviling practices. Let's see, what's 12 percent of 40 pounds, as you fumble around to choose the right bills or coins? Especially abroad, you don't want to overtip and be smirkingly viewed as another deep-pocketed American throwing money around, nor do you want to undertip and be seen as a cheapskate. Blessed are those rare countries -- Japan for one sees tipping as insulting -- or establishments that say service is included and mean it.
It's widely accepted that tip means "to insure promptness," but since tips normally are given after service is rendered, you can only hope the service provider knows that good service insures a reward -- a kind of thank you. One thing for certain, waiters and bellmen are never overpaid, so every little bit extra helps them.
Another thing to remember: Tipping practices do not fluctuate overnight like currency rates. The standard 15 percent restaurant tip in the U.S. has been around since the 1970s and only recently has it edged up to 18 percent to 20 percent in larger cities and upscale restaurants.
What to do?
So what's the traveler to do since there are no hard and fast rules that work worldwide?
For one, don't let the tipping thing spoil your trip. Foreign government tourist offices, consulates, travel agents, cruise lines and tour companies often can provide you with guidelines. You can find tipping tips on travelocity.com and on magellans.com. There are also books on tipping, such as "Fodor's FYI: How to Tip."
"I would recommend that people talk to a hotel concierge," said Michael Lynn, a professor at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, who does research on tipping. "A concierge is well-connected to the hospitality industry and certainly knows what hotel and restaurant service people expect."
No matter what sources you check, you are apt to find inconsistencies. Take Argentina. A tipping chart on Magellan's Web site that covers some 70 countries simply says tipping is illegal in Argentina. Travelocity advises, "Tips are officially outlawed, but waiters and hotel staff expect a small tip although bills already include a 25 percent service charge -- and 18 percent tax."
There are, however, a few standard tips that pretty much apply around the world: Porters generally get the equivalent of $1 a bag, but as high as $2 in Australia and Austria, and as low as 50 cents in Indonesia.
Also, in most of the world, taxi drivers expect the fare to be rounded up, or usually 10 percent.
Exceptions include the United States, where drivers expect 10 percent to 15 percent, and destinations like Argentina, China, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, where no tip is expected.
A tipping overview
Here's an overview of tipping from Travelocity, Magellan's, Chicago Tribune foreign correspondents and other sources:
UWestern Europe: If no service charge has been added to your restaurant bill, a 10 percent to 15 percent tip should be given, Travelocity says. When charges are included, which I've found is usually the case, no tip is usually expected. Exceptions to that rule, Travelocity says, exist in France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, where it is expected that you will either leave your small change or round up the bill to an even amount. In Italy and Spain, about 10 percent is expected on top of the service charge. In Scandinavia, service charges are almost always included in hotel and restaurant bills, and no further tip is necessary.
UUnited Kingdom: About half the restaurants do not add service to the bill, reports Ray Moseley, retired Tribune chief European correspondent who lives in London. In those cases, the bill will usually say: "Service not included." If service is included, the charge is 121/2 percent -- and you don't need to add anything extra. If you have to leave a tip, 12 percent to 13 percent is quite acceptable, Moseley says. For taxis in London, he says, 10 percent is adequate; Magellan's says 15 percent.
UEastern Europe: Magellan's study recommends a 5 percent to 10 percent tip in restaurants in the Czech Republic, 10 percent in Hungary and Poland if there's not already a service charge added. Travelocity notes that tipping is expected in Budapest, but not rural parts of Hungary. "In Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major Russian cities, the appropriate amount at hotels and restaurants is 10 percent," says Alex Rodriguez, the Tribune's Moscow correspondent. "In smaller provincial capitals and in rural areas, tipping is not customary. However, if it's weighing on your conscience," he adds, "leave a tip of anything between 30 rubles [$1] and 10 percent. For coat check attendants, 30 to 60 rubles is sufficient. The same goes for airport porters." As for taxis, Rodriguez says, there's no need to tip.
UMiddle East and Africa: In Israel, Travelocity reports, tipping is not common because service charges usually are included in restaurant and hotel bills. In Saudi Arabia, a 10 percent or 15 percent tip is becoming standard, while in Bahrain, waiters and taxi drivers expect 10 percent. Tipping is not practiced in the United Arab Emirates. In Turkey, restaurant bills and taxi fares are rounded up. In Egypt, add 5 percent to 10 percent to a restaurant bill and round up taxi fares. In South Africa, says Travelocity, American-style tipping is practiced, while Magellan's suggests a 10 percent tip on restaurant bills if there's no service charge; taxi drivers get 10 percent. Laurie Goering, the Tribune's Africa correspondent based in Johannesburg, reports: "South Africa is a standard 10 percent in restaurants and for most other kinds of services. Much of Africa is the same -- 10 percent, sometimes more for really exceptional service at a fancy or tourist kind of place, or less [just the spare change or a few coins] if you're really at an inexpensive place, where they'll be impressed that you left anything."
UAsia: "As a rule in both Japan and China, there is no tipping," says Michael Lev, who has served as the Tribune's correspondent in Tokyo and Beijing. "When you check into a hotel, even a fancy five-star hotel, and the bellman drops your bags and asks in his most solicitous voice, 'Is there anything else you need?,' he really wants to know if there is anything else you need. He's not waiting for you to slip him a dollar." In most other Asian countries, including South Korea, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, Travelocity notes that service charges may or may not be included in hotel and restaurant bills, but in any case, further tips are not expected. Hong Kong restaurant bills include a 10 percent service charge, but an additional tip of 10 percent is suggested.
UAustralia and New Zealand: Tipping and service charges are virtually unheard of in New Zealand, according to Travelocity, and in Australia, tips of about 10 percent are expected only in the finest restaurants. Cab drivers do not expect large tips, but rounding up to the nearest whole Australian dollar amount is conventional.
UMexico, Central and South America: "Generally, the waiters and waitresses accept 10 percent," says Hugh Dellios, a Tribune foreign correspondent based in Mexico City. "Taxistas, too, aren't demanding of tips. With jobs short, at least in Mexico, there's always someone trying to carry your bag. I generally stick to the $1 a bag rule at the airport, but I know they would accept less." Travelocity notes that tipping is widely practiced in South America, and 10 percent to 15 percent is common in Brazil. In Chile, waiters expect 10 percent on top of a 10 percent service charge. In the Caribbean, notes Travelocity, a service charge on a restaurant bill is common and tipping is not, except in the Bahamas, where tips are the norm.
UIn Canada, tip as in the United States.