Who should you tip and how much?

Cruise Staff: In the old days, cruise lines provided an envelope and suggestions for how much to tip the crew members with whom you had direct contact during a sailing. Now it's the norm for major cruise lines to automatically add the tips to your bill (which could take you by surprise), especially in the U.S. and the Caribbean. "In the last 10 years or so there's been a trend toward automating [tips] where the cruise line said, “we'll take care of that for you if you just mark this off on the bill.” While some cruise lines make it possible to adjust the included tips if you wish, on others those included tips have become mandatory and cannot be adjusted. In this case, "the tipping is no longer about you and the person giving you good service—it's about service in general on the ship." And that service, can even extend to things the cruise lines shouldn't expect passenger tips to cover—including employee education. Always check with your cruise line to find out if tips are included (and whether or not they can be adjusted) before setting sail.

Wait Staff: We've got tipping in the U.S. down when it comes to restaurants—leave 15 to 20 percent unless there's some outstanding circumstance. It's not so cut-and-dried abroad. A general rule for tipping in European restaurants is to leave a couple of euros if you're happy with the service, rounding a 47 euro bill up to 50 euros, for example. But in Denmark and New Zealand, no tip is expected at all. And be on the lookout for service Travel Tips jhath62@gmail.com 732-842-7898 charges that are included in the bill. In Norway, a 10 percent service charge is typically included (though you should leave 10 percent if it is not). But be aware that in some places, that service charge doesn't always cover the full tip. In Aruba, for instance, 15 percent is automatically added to the bill (this is distributed to everyone, including the kitchen staff). If you were happy with the service, leave an additional 5 to 10 percent and give it directly to your waiter. When in doubt, ask the hotel staff what the local customs are for tipping at restaurants. It's confusing when Europeans travel here as well. A couple years ago, the bar at a trendy New York restaurant started automatically adding 20 percent tips to bar tabs, since waiters were sick of being stiffed by European visitors who may not have been aware of customs on our shores.

Bell man: The tipping conundrum gets all the more confusing when you arrive at a big hotel with a flotilla of staff members on hand to assist you. One person grabs your bag from the car, another wheels it to reception, and yet another delivers the luggage to your room. You could get dizzy tossing around dollar bills. It's better to give one handout when you've reached your room. The person who usually takes your bag from the car to check-in doesn't really expect to be tipped. They usually rotate their shifts (with the other porters delivering bags to rooms).

Staff in China and Japan: Believe it or not, tipping is considered rude in China and Japan, and is just not done. That goes for cab drivers, restaurant wait staff, and workers in hotels. But there is a big exception to this rule that could take even the savviest traveler by surprise. Keep reading to find out! Shuttle

Van Drivers: Those courtesy shuttles you take from the airport to the car rental parking lot, and from your hotel into town, shouldn't be viewed as a completely free ride. Whether there's a jar for tips or not, you should hand off a dollar or two to the driver as you're getting dropped off. If you have really heavy bags, give the driver a few dollars.

Hotel Housekeeping: Housekeeping is probably the most controversial—and misunderstood—tipping subject in hotels. Many people don't, but you should definitely be tipping the maid at your hotel. If you tip every day instead of at the end of your stay, you'll get the best service. A couple of dollars per day is acceptable. And when there's no official envelope for tipping, it's best to leave the money under the pillow instead of on a dresser. In the latter case, maids may think the cash is not for them, and leave it behind after they clean. I always write a short note of thank you in the language of the country I am visiting; i.e., Gracias! Even better, find your housekeeper in the hallway, and pass her a few dollars while thanking her for work well done. One caveat for this is if you are staying at a small inn or B&B. It's usually the owners themselves taking care of the tidying up, so forgoing the housekeeping tip is perfectly acceptable.

Concierge: You don't need to tip a hotel concierge for sketching the route to the best local sushi joint on your map, or arranging an airport shuttle. But if a real effort has been made to get you tickets to a sold-out show or a table at an impossible-to-book restaurant, the concierge deserves a special thank-you for his or her efforts. Tip somewhere between Travel Tips jhath62@gmail.com 732-842-7898 $5 and $20, depending on what you've requested. Slide the cash to the concierge in person, or have it delivered to them inside one of the hotel's envelopes with a brief message expressing your gratitude.

Tour Guides: Tips for guides are rarely included in tour prices, and are expected whether you were shown around the Roman Colosseum for an hour, or the Great Barrier Reef for an entire day. Generally speaking, $3 to $4 per day (in local currency) is acceptable for guides of shorter tours, and $7 to $10 per day for full-day tour guides. When in doubt, ask the tour operator what is considered an acceptable tip per person — the question comes up so often that many agencies even post the information on their websites. This is standard worldwide — even traditionally non-tipping countries like China and Japan. But making a big show of passing over a few yuan or yen is still frowned upon. Ideally, you would not give the tip directly after someone has done a favor for you. That is like paying for the service. Instead, giving the tip at a later, unexpected time would be better. Most tours in China will include transport back to your hotel or the airport, so wait until the final goodbyes, not right at the conclusion of the tour. Just taking cash out of your pocket is the worst way to tip in Japan. Put the money in an envelope and seal it before passing it to your guide.