A few days ago, I wrote about an undercover investigation in Paris, to see how Americans are ripped off at restaurants compared to locals.
I found the findings there to be fascinating, and one of those is that service was “included” for the person posing as a local, but not for the person posing as an American. When the American decided to tip 10%, the server increased that amount to 15%, seemingly thinking that wasn’t sufficient.
Tipping is always a hot button topic, and I’d like to address that more broadly. Yes, us Americans are the “worst” when it comes to this, but honestly, this is anything but straightforward.
Tipping cultures vary greatly around the world
To start, let’s briefly discuss tipping cultures around the world. I’d say most countries fit into one of three categories:
- On one end of the spectrum you have Japan, where you absolutely don’t tip under any circumstances; correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t think of any other country where there aren’t even any circumstances where you’d round up
- Then you have countries where it’s customary to round up a little bit, but we’re talking small amounts; for example, the German word for tip is “Trinkgeld,” which means “drinking money,” and I think that is a pretty good descriptor of the intent there
- On the other end of the spectrum, you have countries where tipping is a consistent expectation, and contributes toward a person’s ability to make a living
There’s a huge amount of variability within that last category, in terms of the amount you tip and the situations in which you tip.
In the United States, tipping 20% in restaurants is the norm, but it goes way beyond that. Staying at a nice hotel? It’s common to give money to the airport shuttle bus driver, the valet, the bellman who flags a taxi for you, the person who helps you with luggage, the concierge, the housekeeper, etc. Sometimes you’re even encouraged to tip front desk agents and self check-out machines!
At the same time, I think many non-Americans underplay the extent to which tipping is also part of the culture in their own country. For example, if you go out to a nice meal in a major European city, even most locals tip a non-insignificant amount (assuming there’s not a percentage service charge included). If you have a check equivalent to $99 (in local currency) in London, Madrid, Paris, etc., even most locals aren’t simply going to round that up to $100 (though if anyone has a different take, let me know!).
I always find it funny to read guides online about tipping at restaurants outside the United States. It usually goes something like “tipping is not customary or expected, but if service is good, a tip of X% is considered appropriate.”
How should Americans tip when traveling internationally?
Us Americans are collectively guilty of exporting our tipping culture to other countries. We’ll show up at hotels, and often start tipping the same way we would in the United States.
We’ll use justification like “oh, they were just so nice,” or “oh, it’s not a lot of money to me, but it means a lot to them.” In terms of the economic impact, this is probably most apparent in countries where the average income is way lower than in the United States.
Of course over time, this creates a challenge:
- Those working in tourism expect tips from Americans, because that’s just how we’ve always acted
- Most people are happy to be given extra money, so they’re not upset about the tips, even if local customs aren’t being followed (with Japan being an exception)
- To some extent, what makes some people in tourism like Americans is that they know they’re getting a bit of a payday when they hear a certain accent; I think many in service even go above and beyond for Americans, since they know there’s quite a bit of upside
- As people in tourism come to expect tips from Americans, they might be shocked when Americans don’t tip, and view that as them being cheap, or something having been wrong with the experience
- The added problem is that overtourism in so many places has increased the cost of living for locals, and in some places, locals working in tourism start to rely on tips to deal with the higher cost of living, when that wasn’t previously the case
- I think the whole “sharing” economy concept has contributed to this even more, in terms of the normalization of tips; for example, I was shocked that when I took an Uber in Tokyo, I was even given the option of tipping
Tipping culture gets all the more complicated if you’re staying internationally at a western hotel group (Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, etc.), or if you’re somewhere that’s overrun with Americans (like Cancun). But generally speaking, more and more I find myself at international destinations where I’m asked if I want to add a tip (either verbally, or in writing). It’s rather awkward to say “no,” at least for me.
If you ask me, we’ve dug ourselves a bit of a hole here. I don’t know what the solution is, but I often struggle with figuring out the best course of action. Is there a solution, other than pretending one is from a different country?
To those who work in tourism outside of the United States, how do you feel about this? If your local culture is that tipping isn’t necessary, how do you feel when an American doesn’t tip? Do you feel they’re being cheap, or are you impressed they’re following local customs?
Bottom line
The United States is known for its tipping culture, and there’s no denying that this has spread globally a bit. As an American traveling abroad, it’s something I struggle with. It feels like those working in tourism have largely started to expect Americans to tip the same way abroad as they do at home, given how many people do.
I’m not sure what the right balance is, but it feels like it’s getting worse and worse.
Where do you stand on Americans tipping abroad, and what the right approach is?
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