OK, the lowdown on tipping . . .

This post was inspired by XBOX WIFE - her backwards WFMW was all these tipping questions that I have completely copy and pasted and answered below. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a professional on this, I can only share my personal experience (which is actually quite a lot - my family travels a considerable amount). For somewhat professional advice, consider the following:

* Wikipedia: Tip
* The Original Tipping Page
* Get Rich Slowly: Basic Tips on Tipping
* Emily Post: Holiday Tipping

And now, on to the questions! These are based on my personal experiences and opinions (and I inherited most of my tipping habits from my parents). Note that I am typically a big tipper (at a restaurant I consider around 20% to be standard, if not more). I will also leave less of a tip if my service was not that good. It is rare that I will not leave a tip at all, though I have done it once or twice for truly appalling service. But, like I said, I’m usually a very generous tipper.

* How much do you tip the security officer that brings a band-aid to your room? - I’d think a couple of dollars.

* How much do you tip the taxi driver that doesn’t answer any of your questions, or chooses to text message friends while he is driving? - Depends on the length of travel and such. For a $10 cab ride in NYC, I’d say $2 or so.

* How about the taxi driver that gives you great tips and good conversation? - Again, depends on the length and location. For a $10 cab ride in NYC, I’d probably give him $18ish total (but they were really great tips and some AWESOME conversation).

* Do you tip the doorman that greets you, the one that takes in your bags, AND the one that carries them to your room? - Are they 3 different people? If they are, then I typically only tip the one that carries them to my room (unless I have 15 bags . . . then I might consider the others). And usually it’s $1-2 plus $1 for each bag

* How much do you tip the doorman that hails a cab for you? - How hard was it to get the cab? If there was a cab in a line by the hotel, then $1. If he had to call or something, then $2-3.

* The concierge? - Did you use their services? If no, then no tip. If it was a quick question or two, then maybe $1. If they booked a tour for you and gave you 3 good restaurant recommendations, then $5 or so.

* Housekeeping? Do you tip housekeeping daily, or at the end of your trip? (I always worry that the person that has been cleaning our room all week will have the day off on the day we leave!) - If I’ve stayed at a nice hotel for a week or so and received excellent housekeeping service, then perhaps $10-20 at the end of the trip. But usually I don’t tip housekeeping. On a cruise though . . . definitely.

* Salon and spa services in your hotel? - Yes. Example: $50 massage - $10 tip

* And what about salon and spa services in your hometown ~ How much do you tip your hairstylist, the shampoo person, the manicurist, the esthetician? - Yes. I get a $120 haircut and color. The colorist usually gets $15-20, and the hair cutter gets $10. If they are the same person, then they get $20-25 total. And slip a $5 to the one who washes your hair and sweeps up the mess on the floor! Nails? If the manicure is $50, then give them $10-15 . . . and if you’re a regular, make sure to include ALL these kinds of people on your Christmas list (a small little gift, $10-20 gift certificate, homemade cookies . . . you get the idea, somewhere in there).

* The barber? - $15 harcut for the boys = $5-10 for the tip

* The shoeshine guy? - Do people still do this? I have no idea.

* Car wash attendants? - If they were super excellent, maybe $5. Typically though, no.

* Restaurants? How much? Do you determine the amount depending on the specific restaurant? How about the maitre d’? How about self-service places where someone buses your table? - I sort of addressed this already. Usually I go somewhere around 20% - regardless of how nice the restaurant is . . . those waitstaff are working just as hard at Ruby Tuesday as they are at Ruth’s Chris! At self-service places I usually leave a dollar on the table for the busboy. Unless the matre d’ has done you a special service, I usually don’t tip.

* Airports! How much do you tip the guy who unloads your car and the separate guy that checks your bags before you ever actually get into the airport? The parking attendants? The bus drivers for long-term parking? - Usually $1-2 plus $1 for each bag that you have. This goes for the shuttle driver and the skycap. The parking attendant in the little booth - no tip usually.

* Valet parking attendants? - $1-2 when you give them the car and another $1-2 when you get it back.

* Grocery store baggers and car loaders? - I usually forgo using them, so it’s been a LONG time since I’ve done this . . . I would imagine $5 is good if you’ve got a big carful of groceries.

And I’m gonna toss one in here for myself - TIP YOUR BARISTA! If you’ve had good service at Starbucks (or any other coffee shop for that matter), toss your change or a dollar into the tip jar, ESPECIALLY if you’re in the drive-thru . . . it’s factored into our pay like a waiter’s would be, and the drive-thru stores are notorious for getting awful tips, which is quite unfortunate because the work is harder. ::Steps off soap box::

Any other things you’re wondering about for tips? I’d love to keep going!!!

Thirteen posts on my blog that I like in particular!

Only one person responded to my quiz from last week, so I haven’t posted the answers yet - please check it out and let me know your thoughts!

And yes, this is a slightly self-centered T13 . . . but I really couldn’t think of anything else! Note - many of these are T13 posts

1. My post on inflammatory breast cancer - not many people know about this, and it is a HUGE silent killer! I particularly like this one because the mom you see in the video sent me an email after I posted this! (Updated with video)

2. One lesson learned the hard way - backup everything on your computer! (Updated)

3. The Closet Caper - this was such an intense project, and I was very proud of my documentary style on the blog ;-)! And you’ll all by happy to know that the closet still looks like that - woo hoo!

4. Pictures from our cruise to Europe - this was probably my favorite T13!

5. When I initially posted about my 101 in 1001, I had no idea that I was still going to be going strong a year later - wow, this has been great!

6. My post of 13 Firefox extensions I can’t live without - also the post I have with the most comments. 47!

7. Some great personal finance resources that I’ve found online!

8. I only posted about this recently, but I found the best light bulbs EVER, and it seems like my post may have sparked (pun intended) a bunch of bloggers to go buy these great bulbs!

9. This video made by Dove never ceases to amaze me. What kind of world do we live in?

10. Cheesy, yes, but very much from the heart. I love my parents.

11. Another great environmental tip - get rid of the junk mail WITH NO EFFORT!

12. We all know I love the quizzes . . .

13. And, how could I forget, when I became a T13 hostess!

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Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. My days are getting all mixed up, LOL! I think it was last Thursday that we went to Ephesus. The cruise ship docked in Kusadasi, Turkey, and then we took a bus out to Ancient Ephesus. These ruins weren’t in as good condition as the ruins at Pompeii, but it was still really cool, especially when the guide pointed out the huge amphitheatre where Paul preached. Then we drove back into Kusadasi and looked at really nice Turkish carpets, haha! It was fun.

2. On Friday we went to Athens. The first stop was the Acropolis - it was HUGE! I had no idea how big those buildings were. We saw temples and things, and we also saw the Theatre of Dionysus (which was really cool because I’ve studied it for so long in theatre classes). Then we took a bus to Corinth where we traveled on a boat through the Corinth Canal (which is reeeeeeally narrow). It was a nice change from the boiling hot ruins.

3. The next day was a day at sea, which I promptly spent all day in my pajamas reading. Yay relaxation!

4. The next day was the last stop - Venice. I have decided that I am moving to Venice. I was sooooo in love, and I’m not even really sure why. I just had a feeling about it. I’m not even joking - when I get home I’m going to research living in Venice and the opportunities MagicMouth might have there.

5. In Venice we went to a neat house that has been converted into a museum, then St. Mark’s church (which we didn’t spend nearly enough time in), and finally the Doge’s Palace, which was huge. It was really neat. And of course, that night, we had a gondola ride. Cheesy, yes. But you can’t go to Venice and not go on a gondola ride, LOL!

6. The next morning we had to leave the ship at 4:30AM in order to get to the airport in time! We were in Paris by lunchtime. How’s that for fast travel? LOL!

7. We spent the day in Paris going on a driving tour through the city, just so we could get our bearings. Then that evening we went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked along the Champs Elysees (stopping at both Haagen Daas and Louis Vuitton, of course ;)).

8. The next day we went out the palace at Versailles, which was massive. Then we met up with a friend at Notre Dame (a co-pilot for Air France who lives in Paris), which was nice. Then we headed back to the hotel, changed clothes, and went to a show at the Moulin Rouge! That was fun, though it was nothing like what it looked like in the movie, haha.

9. On Wednesday (yesterday) we went to the Lourve first thing in the morning and spent the morning there. It was soooo huge, but I saw a lot more than I thought I would. I felt very productive, haha. Then we walked along the Seine River down to the Eiffel Tower, but we didn’t go up. The line was long, and we were tired of walking, haha. Then we went back to the hotel.

10. Yesterday night was the France vs. Portugal game for futbol, and since France won, we had a hard time falling asleep because of all the cars honking all night long, haha. But it was really cool to be there for that game.

11. This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn AGAIN to go to the airport . . . and right now I’m sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for our connecting flight to Jacksonville. It will be good to sleep in my own bed tonight, hahaha! Thus ends the European vacation . . . pictures to follow at some point this weekend.

12. Heard from Ben - things are good with his mother. Thank you for your prayers.

13. And of course, a quiz:

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Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. Realized that I hadn’t scratched off #35 on my 101 in 1001 - yup, by now I’ve traveled to Europe, LOL!

2. Update from before - I released one book in France and two in Italy through Bookcrossing. That was really cool ;-)! In Italy, our tour guide found the books not five minutes after I released them and thought someone in our tour group had lost them. He was asking everyone if they belonged to them, and my whole family kept saying “you should say they’re yours” . . . but I didn’t, and he finally put them back. Haha, it was a close call ;-).

3. The second night we had supper, our chatty couple was not there and we had the whole table to ourselves, which was nice. Then the third night we had a fun British couple sit at our table, and they have been our tablemates ever since. It has been fun :-).

4. Last Thursday was the day we spent in France. We docked at Marseille, then rode a bus to Arles (where we saw several locations that van Gogh painted, including the famous cafe painting) and Le Baux (which was a cute little village with shops and an old church). I bought a great table cloth and matching napkins to go on my new table in the apartment when we were shopping in Le Baux.

5. On Friday we went to Florence, Italy. It was amazing to see so many old buildings, bridges, and churches! We saw Michelangelo’s David. It is HUGE! I didn’t realize just how tall that thing is! And carved from one piece of marble. Amazing . . .

6. On Saturday we were in Rome. The first thing we did was go wait in line at the Vatican. We got into the line around 8:15AM. And we waited. And we waited. The line snaked all around the outer wall of Vatican City, probably a mile long. We didn’t get into the Vatican until about 10AM. I was sooo sunburned once we got done, haha. Bought sunscreen that night on the ship!

7. Once we got inside the Vatican, it was amazing. First we went through this long hallway that was full of amazing paintings - like, the walls were all painted, not hanging paintings. Then the next long room was full of tapestries that are about four hundred years old. It was crazy! Then, the next room was the Sistine Chapel. Wow. There just aren’t even words. It was so incredibly beautiful, and the whole room just had this feeling to it. Then we went into the main church which had so many wonderful things in it. It was also HUGE - there was this boarder around the roof with words written in Latin. It looked like a small boarder compared to the rest of the church, but then our guide told us that the letters are SIX FEET TALL. Crazy! And as we were leaving the church, we saw a baptism happening. It was nice to know that not only is the church in the Vatican, not only is it full of amazing art, but it is still a church that is in actual use!

8. Then we went to see the Coliseum, which was really cool! I kind of knew what the inside would look like with the different layers and seats and stuff, but I never knew what the bottom looked like! Under the floor there was a whole other layer of hallways and elevators and things - there were about 60 trap doors in the floor! From a theatrical standpoint, I was facinated.

9. On Sunday we went to the Napoli region of Italy. We first went to Pompeii to see the ruins. I was thinking we’d see some rubbled city buildings and a bunch of pieces of pottery. No no no. They have uncovered a MASSIVE city. There are still two, three story buildings there, massive columns, and all the streets. That was crazy - the city is so large, and there are still obvious distinctions between the various shops and such. It would have been amazing back in its peak. Then we went to Sorrento, a fun little city that is full of shops and beautiful flowers. We bought som beautiful ceramics there. Then we took a boat to Capri. My goodness, it’s so beautiful!!! I have never seen so many green things. Trees, flowers, plants . . . it was breathtaking. We mostly just had shopping time there, so we wandered around the shops a little bit, then we wandered into a residential area. It was near to see the different little houses, mailboxes . . . I’m facinated by the life in these other countries!

10. The next day was a day at sea, which we were most definitely needing by this point, haha! We just rested, read books, did some laundry, hahaha.

11. Then on Tuesday we went to Mykonos, Greece. It really is all white houses with colored shutters! I didn’t see a single building that wasn’t white. We went in lots of shops there and I got an exquisite painting made by the daughter of a shop owner. It is a painting of the Annunciation, with 18 carat gold leaf. My first substantial piece of art. I am absolutely thrilled.

12. Yesterday was Istanbul, Turkey. We saw the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. They were OK - they were not in as good condition as all the buildings in Italy. I guess they just don’t take good care of their historical buildings. It was neat to see them though - I’ve never been in a mosque before. Then we went to the Sultan’s Palace, which was quite lush. We didn’t have time to go into the harem, but we did go to the treasury. There so many beautiful jewels - thrones, cradles, sabers . . . it was really cool. Then, the coolest thing. There were relics. John the Baptist’s hand and skull. Slightly creepy, but still really really cool. Then we went to the Grand Bazar, which was waaaaay more tourist-y than we had thought it would be. However, I did get a really cool hookah though ;-)! It’s got a ceramic base, so cool. Today we are going to Ephesus, Turkey. As in, the book of Ephesians - sooo pumped!

13. Every day, as a part of these tours, they arrange lunch for us. Just had to mention that seperately, because lunch is always amazing, especially in Italy. We keep taking the business cards for the restaurants . . . just in case we ever get a chance to come back ;-). I will update more later!!!

And as a bonus, I still have yet to hear from Ben about his mother, so please continue praying for her. Thank you!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Leave me a comment and I’ll give you a shout out!