are there 2 guides on most trips - trying to plan for tips

[fongds]

We're leaving for China in two week2....!!! Are there two guides on most trips?? That's a lot of cash to carry around till the end for tips?? Did you find many guides take paypal??

Thanks
Diane

 

[sayhello]

I have always had 2 Guides on my ABDs (6 so far). They only have 1 Guide if there is a really small amount of people on your trip, like under 12, which doesn't often happen. So I'd count on 2 Guides.

If you don't want to carry the cash, you can find out when there will be ATMs available, and draw the cash towards the end of the trip. The Guides are really good about letting you know that sort of thing.

I've never tried using PayPal to tip the Guides. I didn't realize that was an option. I'm not sure you'd know that until you get there & ask your particular Guides, though.

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

We're leaving for China in two week2....!!! Are there two guides on most trips?? That's a lot of cash to carry around till the end for tips?? Did you find many guides take paypal??

Thanks
Diane

I wouldn't count on the PayPal option. One guest was asking about it, but one guide had the capability and one did not. I overheard something about charges incurred by the recipient, too, but I didn't hear the whole conversation.
We always bring the cash, but I'd prefer writing a check if I could. Lol. What I'd like to see is you be able to give a basic amount prior to the start of the trip, and then add extra at the end, so you don't have to carry all that money, or worry about ATMs and fees.
We would use the highest "suggested" amount as our starting point before and add to it as we were ending the trip. We love our guides! ;-)

 

[tgeorge]

That would actually be a great idea if they could use pay pal! No worries about carrying cash for you or for them! It gets directly deposited i to the account they have set up.
If you transfer the funds to a friend then they don't incur a charge. You do if you use a credit card,but if it is set up to your bank account then no one pays a charge.

 

[Woodview]

Think the Guides would prefer " Cash "

 

[silmarg]

I am hearing (as far as Italy in the summer goes) that the ABD guide may stay in country for a couple months at a stretch.

So should I tip in USD or Euro?

 

[AquamarineSteph]

I am hearing (as far as Italy in the summer goes) that the ABD guide may stay in country for a couple months at a stretch.

So should I tip in USD or Euro?

When we were in Italy, we tipped with both US $ and Euros. To the best of my knowledge, either is acceptable.

 

[sayhello]

I am hearing (as far as Italy in the summer goes) that the ABD guide may stay in country for a couple months at a stretch.

So should I tip in USD or Euro?

Really, the only thing I'd worry about is tipping in Euros or whatever the local currency is at the end of the season, as they likely wouldn't have time to use it & would have to convert it. But I'm sure they're used to either.

Sayhello

 

[figment52]

is there a recommended tip amount like there is on cruise ships?

 

[Rapunzellover]

Remember that not all guides live in the US.

 

[silmarg]

I am reading thru my guide for our trip at the end of July. It says $7-10 per person traveling for each guide.

For my Italy (9days) it's $63-90 per guide per guest.

My party is of 4 and there are two guides so the suggested tip is $252-360 per guide or $504-720 in total tips.

 

[SMH1168]

We're leaving for China in two week2....!!! Are there two guides on most trips?? That's a lot of cash to carry around till the end for tips?? Did you find many guides take paypal??

Thanks
Diane

On our China trip (in June) we were a group of 20 and had 2 guides. One guide was a U.S. citizen and the other a Chinese national (employee of a China travel services company that is the tour operator.) While I do not know for an absolute fact, I would go out on a limb and say you can expect the same on your trip. The guides were open to any form of payment and when asked wouldn't/couldn't express a preference. However, I expect the Chinese national would greatly prefer RMB and the U.S. citizen USD.

 

[figment52]

Thank you...it must be covered in the final documents I haven't received yet. I leave in 44 days and I am ready to start packing

 

[silmarg]

We r excited too! We fly out this Thurs for the Italy ABD that leaves the following Thursday. We were packing yesterday night. We are prob 95% done packing.

 

[lucky1]

We just completed our first ABD... I was so naive, I thought our guides would be local to the country, so I had enough of the local money to pay the guides... Come to find out they were US and both were leaving the country the same day we were departing, so we quickly went through our US $ and put that aside. I know someone else asked about Paypal and both of the guides had the information were not really forthcoming with the information, but then again they seemed very uncomfortable discussing tips at all or on which currency they would prefer. Left us with more local money than we wanted to have.

 

[SingingMom]

We just completed our first ABD... I was so naive, I thought our guides would be local to the country, so I had enough of the local money to pay the guides... Come to find out they were US and both were leaving the country the same day we were departing, so we quickly went through our US $ and put that aside. I know someone else asked about Paypal and both of the guides had the information were not really forthcoming with the information, but then again they seemed very uncomfortable discussing tips at all or on which currency they would prefer. Left us with more local money than we wanted to have.

That was nice of you to go out of your way to give them US currency, but you could have given them the local currency if you had already planned on that.
On our tours, we plan on US currency, no matter where the guides are from, and then supplement it with left over local currency. Paypal isn't widely used yet. I think only one guide we've met actually had it. We also gave our extra Czech coins to the guides so they had them for the bathroom breaks. lol

 

[fongds]

On our China trip (in June) we were a group of 20 and had 2 guides. One guide was a U.S. citizen and the other a Chinese national (employee of a China travel services company that is the tour operator.) While I do not know for an absolute fact, I would go out on a limb and say you can expect the same on your trip. The guides were open to any form of payment and when asked wouldn't/couldn't express a preference. However, I expect the Chinese national would greatly prefer RMB and the U.S. citizen USD.

Thanks for your response. I am surprised there were only 20 on your trip. We are a family of 5 so I hope there is a few more. Any helpful hints for china....things you wish you'd brought? Any activities that were really good or things to avoid. Not many posters here for china. THANKS Diane

 

[fongds]

thanks for your responses everyone!