Tip Advisor: Interactive Map For Global Tipping Etiquette

One of the most frequently used yet overlooked pieces of knowledge travelers need before jetting off to a foreign country is whether they need to pay tips for various services and, if so, how much. Americans are accustomed to tipping for services like meals, baggage handling and taxi fare, but what are the typical tipping rules abroad?

Insurance website Gocompare.com launched an interactive map called Tip Advisor that displays a world map and allows travelers to view the tipping culture by geographical location. The map displays the country’s flag and name, and once a user clicks on a destination, a table appears with suggestions for whether (and how much) to tip for services like taxis, restaurants and hotel staff. Tip Advisor also includes the translated word for “thank you” into the local language, complete with a phonetic spelling.

More specific information includes whether taxis add surcharges on trips to and from the airport, how much to tip various hotel staff (e.g., housekeeping, bellhops, concierge staff) and (if applicable) how much to tip for bartenders versus restaurant servers.

Although the information is not available for every country, it’s worth taking a look at Tip Advisor before traveling to make sure your tipping knowledge is up to par.