Tips for private guides range from $10-$30 per day and $8-$15 for drivers. For group tours, tip guides $5-$20 per day depending on group size.
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Tours. At the end of a guided tour, it's customary to give your guide a small tip for a job well done. If you've had a good time and you've been well looked after and well entertained, you can tip 10 to 15 percent of the cost of the tour.
Guides who are self-employed receive the entire payment therefore, much like having the owner of a beauty salon doing your hair, you aren't expected to tip them. A private tour guide with an agency is likely making better than minimum wage but would still very much appreciate the tip.
Typically, people tip around 10-15% in London, except for when using taxis or public transport, where a smaller tip is frequently accepted. Tour guides do not need to be tipped, but this is up to the customer to decide. Some restaurants add an automatic tip to your bill. This is commonly known as the service charge.
There are exceptions if your specific tour experience includes gratuities or you simply didn't have a good time, but in general, tipping your guide at the end of the tour is customary in the U.S. and Europe, though it's much more common in the States.
If I arrange for a driver for the day or days and then get a tour guide for a specific part, I tip them separately as each was hired separately. In many cases, the tour guide IS the driver so only one tip.
Most etiquette experts suggest a tip of 10-20% of the cost of a tour for outdoor guides like ours. A typical gratuity on a full-day tour is $20-$40 per person, and on a half-day trip, $15-$20 per guest. Exceptional service often earns more: Did they go out of their way to show you something you're interested in?
A half-day tour with a private guide usually costs $100–300. Guides generally don't charge per person, so hiring one isn't nearly as budget-straining if you can split the cost with fellow travelers. (To get some of the same local info for less, join a group walking tour or hop a sightseeing bus.)
Unlike some countries you do not have to tip in the UK. However, there are some unsaid social rules about leaving a tip. For example, if you take a taxi it is normal practice to round up the fare to the nearest pound.
At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity. We recommend tipping the equivalent of $8USD to $10USD per person per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $3USD per person per day for your driver.
The standard tip for a private driver is typically 15-20% of the total hourly cost of the ride, which is consistent with the general tipping practices and rule of thumb in the service industry.
About.com has a Tipping Guide for travelers that further suggests that the tour guide should receive a tip of 10% to 20% of the tour cost. As a last thought, the guide still needs to earn his or her tip. Just with any other profession, the tip should match the level of service.