Most Romanians give tips during vacations

Most Romanians (95%) give tips during the vacations, but almost half (48%) are puzzled regarding the proper amount, a survey conducted by a tourism platform informs on Thursday.

According to the momondo.ro survey, more than one third of Romanians (39%) say they would give as tip 9-10% of the payment bill in the restaurants at home, for comparison, in the US, people believe 19-20% of the final price should be added for quality services.

57% of Romanians say they do not want the tip to be automatically included in the restaurant bill.

The survey was conducted online in 2019 on a sample of 23,400 persons in 22 countries, among them 1,006 Romanians aged 18-65.

The study made by the free travel metasearch momondo.ro team shows that the majority of participants from USA consider that 19-20% of the final price should be added for the quality of service and 33% of the Canadian representatives use to leave 15-16% more in the restaurants from the places they belong to.

Therefore, we made a list with the usual percentage left in addition to the check note, for the most popular holiday destinations for 2019 summer.

Speaking about restaurant waiters, taxi drivers, cleaning staff or luggage carriers, the tipping culture is different in each visited country but the uncomfortable feeling regarding the usual amount can be easily avoided.

Even if they wouldn’t want to be considered too stingy or too arrogant, depending on the money left as spare, 57% of Romanians declared they do not want the tip to be included in the check note in a restaurant.

Asia and Oceania

In countries like Japan or China simply there is no such form of reward and many times can be considered an insult. In the other Asian countries (especially in the touristic places) the western habits have been installed, in time. In many restaurants it can be found a service tax of around 10% but not always this money gets into the waiter`s pocket. Therefore, it is recommended to round up the note in cash in order to thank for the quality of service.

In Australia or New Zealand it is perfectly fine if the customers choose not to leave any extra besides the check note, but any tip will be appreciated by the person who serves the meal, clean the room or carries the luggage.

The most visited locations by Romanians and the usual tipping:

Thailand: Restaurant – 20 Baht; Taxi – Round up the sum; Bar or Club – Anything – in the common pot

Malaezia: Restaurant – Round up the sum; Taxi – not usual; Hotel Staff – RM2 – RM10

Hong Kong: Restaurant – 10-15%; Taxi, Bar – Keep the change

America

In the United States of America and Canada tipping is more than usual, being considered as a part of the employee revenue. Almost everywhere it can be paid by credit card, which ease the process, but many tourists use to have spare 1$ notes, specially kept for tips.

In the Central America it is almost equally important, as most of those who work in restaurants or hotels have small wages and they rely on these amounts left as spare for their monthly income.

In the South America the „rewarding” frequency is getting smaller, but it is still welcomed. Generally, not leaving a tip is only for strong reasons.

The most visited locations by Romanians and the usual tipping:

USA: Restaurant – min 15-20%; Bar, Hotel Staff -1$/drink or luggage; Taxi – 1$-15-20%

Mexico: Restaurant – included in the bill or 10-20% cash; Bar, Hotel Staff, Taxi -10-20 Pesos/drink or service

Brazil: Restaurant – included in the bill 10%; Bar, Hotel, Taxi – Round up the sum

Europe

Countries in our continent have different visions regarding the extra money left as spare, besides the check note, even if in most of the touristic destinations this form of rewarding the quality of service is used. In the western states the final price includes, usually, a service tax, therefore paying can be made only rounding up the final sum, but if someone deserves a generous reward it is preferred that the tip goes directly to that specific person (especially in Germany, where the tip should not be left on the table), in addition to the check note. In France, it is considered flashy to tip for no good reason. In the southern European destinations it is not usual to include the service in the final note, therefore it is common to add a certain amount to the final price. The Nordic Countries ensure decent wages for the restaurant or hotel workers as well, this is why tipping is not expected, but it is not offensive either.

The most visited locations by Romanians and the usual tipping:

Italy: Restaurant – included in the bill or 10%; Bar, Taxi – Round up the sum; Hotel Staff – 1-3€

Spain: Restaurant – included in the bill, plus 5-10%; Bar – 20 Cents; Taxi – Round up the sum; Hotel Staff – 1-5€

Greece: Restaurant – included in the bill, plus Round up the sum; Bar, Taxi, Hotel Staff – Round up the sum

France: Restaurant – included in the bill, plus Round up the sum; Bar – not usual; Taxi, Hotel Staff –  2-3€

UK: Restaurant – included in the bill or 10-15%; Bar – not usual; Hotel, Taxi – 10-15%.