Stretch the Holiday Budget
A new poll from travel money expert ICE, has found that 40% of travellers have cut back on tipping when abroad. Perhaps not surprisingly 45% don’t even budget for tips, when planning their holiday spending budget. The findings contrast with a survey by ICE in 2011 where 65% of holidaymakers confessed to over-tipping down to sheer ignorance of the local etiquette.
“Tipping varies from country to country, so it’s difficult to know how much is too much,” says Tom Johnson, Head of ICE Direct. “Our survey found that, 45% don’t budget for tips, but it really pays to factor in this added cost. For example, in some parts of the USA and Canada tips can be in the region of 20%. That’s £200 out of a budget of £1,000, making it a serious expense – and it’s seen as the height of rudeness not to tip. However, on the plus side for scrimping travellers, there is no tipping in Japan and in Europe the service charge is between 5% and 10%.”
“You don’t need to rely on a no-tipping rule (and risk the wrath of service staff) to save money. Shopping around for the best exchange rates online is a good place to start – don’t get trapped into buying currency at the airport, it’s usually much less competitive. Check for free postage deals or look out for flash promotions and vouchers for branch collections. Using a Euro or US dollar prepaid card, such as the ICE Travellers Cashcard, means families can fix their exchange rate to avoid nasty shocks caused by sudden exchange rate movements and pay for goods and services on holiday without any additional card charges. A little bit of planning can go a long way.”
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