Tipping the Guides with TC

[redzinner]

Has anyone tipped their Adventure Guides with a traveler's check yet?
I read in the ABD provided trip booklet that they will accept the checks but wondered if anyone has done it that way. I'm supposing this is acceptable for all tours, domestic and foreign.
Seems like the easiest way to carry the 'extra' money.

 

[awatt]

Travelers checks are becoming more difficult to cash. Less places accept them. So the guides can use them but it is harder for them to use.

 

[Bobo912]

Are guests provided with an envelope or card to put the tip in? If not, I thought I would buy cards before I leave and I'm making my last (I hope) supply run to the store today.

 

[AndreaJ]

yes, envelopes are provided - they are stapled on the last page of your daily itenerary booklet that you get at the welcome/reception dinner. However, we bought cards and wrote a special thank you to each of our guides and enclosed cash. Hope that helps!

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks, it helps alot.\! If I forget to pick up cards today, I'll know I'm covered and I won't have to stress out over it.

 

[jenbadeaux]

Did most of you tip your 2 guides equally? Or if one went above and beyond, did you tip him toward the higher end of the recommended amount? For our family of 6, tipping on the scale of $5-$8/guide/day is $240-$384 PER GUIDE. As this is already an expensive trip, and even more so with 4 kids, we will out of necessity need to tip to the low end of that. But if one of them is exceptional, is it appropriate to give him a little extra? Or should we keep it even?

 

[AndreaJ]

We tipped our guides equally - they were both wonderful!!

 

[glassslipper2004]

So should we tip in cash, or (can't imagine how) is there a way to do it with a credit card? I hate to bring a bunch of extra cash just for that, with my luck I'll just lose it.

 

[3pirates]

We tipped in cash....got it out of the ATM on the last day. The fees aren't horrendous taking money out of ATMs. But, we did have a bit of a scare. We had taken cash out 3-4 times during the course of our trip and had no problem. On that last day our bank decided we shouldn't be withdrawing money in Italy (even though they were informed ahead of time and we had been doing so for a week) It took an hour of being passed around and $65.00 in International roaming charges to resolve the matter. (Yes, we got that money back from the bank later.) Then we were able to get cash. I was thinking that was a close call. Anything else we needed we probably could have gotten by with a credit card....not tips for the guides. I wondered if I were to go again whether I would have just paid the guides in travelers checks. I'm sure they know where they can get them cashed.

 

[Bobo912]

Did you tip in local or US currency? Any idea if the quides have a preference?

 

[glassslipper2004]

I'm thinking maybe I'll bring enough traveler's checks to cover the lower amount in the range, and then can use cash to make up the difference.

I can't believe the trip is getting so close- I'm going to have to do things like the call the bank soon, to let them know we are going to Italy, and also to see if we can get a 4-digit pin number. As it stands now both my husband and I have 6-digit pin numbers which I am told don't work in Italy. Hmmm.

 

[redzinner]

I wondered if I were to go again whether I would have just paid the guides in travelers checks. I'm sure they know where they can get them cashed.

I think I'm there too. If a tour is full at 40 people and say each person gives a guide $50...that's $2000! If it's all in cash, a guide will have to bank it anyway. Seems to me banks would cash a travelers check but don't know that for sure.

I wonder if the guides will take Disney Reward Dollars!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Anyone know where the tip guide info is? All this talk makes me think I should just get to a bank and be done with it, get traveler's checks and some euros...

 

[redzinner]

Anyone know where the tip guide info is? All this talk makes me think I should just get to a bank and be done with it, get traveler's checks and some euros...

In our Viva Italia book it's on page 22, in the section General Adventure Information - Gratuities

"PER GUEST/PER ADVENTURE GUIDE/PER DAY - $5-$8 USD

Example:
For a 9-day adventure, the Adventure Guide gratuity per guest, per Adventure Guide: $45 - $72 USD.
A family of 4 For a 9-day adventure: $180 - $228 USD per Adventure Guide.
For two guides, this is a total of $360 - $576 USD
Adventure Guides will accept local currency, US Dollars and signed travelers' checks."

 

[awatt]

I think you will find the guides are EXCEPTIONAL, based on the 2 ABD trips we've taken. They really dogo above an beyond,all day, every day. We did not think twice about tipping the upper end of the suggested amount. They earned every penny.

 

[PrincessFi]

I was one of those people that before my trip that thought it was ridiculous to have to tip the guides in addition to what we paid for the trip. In the end I wished we had more funds to give our guides. We went over the recommended amounts and still wanted to give them more. One thing to remember is the length of the season these guides will be in their tour countries. They can not use Disney Dollars, Travelers Checks are hard to use and they will be charged some type of exchange fee. It is most beneficial for them to be tipped in the local currency. Although they are provided housing for the few days they are off in between tours, they are not provided a salary so they depend on those tips as income to help them survive. Believe me you will generously want to give and will be embarrassed if you don't.

 

[InstImpres]

Believe me you will generously want to give and will be embarrassed if you don't.

Is this a personal thought or was there an awkward situation for someone in your group?

 

[awatt]

They can not use Disney Dollars, Travelers Checks are hard to use and they will be charged some type of exchange fee. It is most beneficial for them to be tipped in the local currency.

That is what I was trying to convey in my first response to the OP. Using TC means you actually are giving them less than you intended because there is an exchange fee.

 

[ggadiel]

Do most people bring a lot of extra cash or do they use an ATM in Paris? I really do not want to bring that much extra cash and do not want to pay the outrageous ATM fees. That leaves only travelers checks which will be no extra fees for me.

 

[awatt]

We brought extra cash. We used our credit card for shopping and dining, and not much extra cash was needed for that sort of thing. So we had plenty of cash left over at the end for tipping.