When you’re traveling abroad, you want to relax and enjoy yourself. Worrying about how much to tip can add unnecessary stress to your trip because the customary amount differs between countries and services. Take a deep breath and read our quick tips on tipping in travel destinations around the world.
Brazil
In a restaurant: a 10% tip is usually included on your restaurant bill. If not, feel free to add it.
At the bar: no tip necessary.
In a taxi: just round up the fare if service was good.
France
In a restaurant: a service fee is included, but you can leave some additional change if service was great.
At the bar: leave some spare change or round up to the nearest euro.
In a taxi: tips aren’t expected, but again, round up if you were pleased with the service.
Germany
In a restaurant: most people tip up to 10% for good service, depending on the meal. For lunch, round up to the nearest euro or 5 euros. For dinner, give 5-10%.
At the bar: it’s customary to leave an extra euro when you order a round at the bar.
In a taxi: if the ride was pleasant, round up to the nearest euro.
Greece
In a restaurant: some restaurants will round up your bill automatically — if they do, don’t tip any extra. If not, tip 5-10% in cash.
At the bar: round up.
In a taxi: tipping isn’t expected, but you can round up if you’d like.
Italy
In a restaurant: usually included in the bill, but leave 1-2 extra euros for good service. If not included, leave around 10%.
At the bar: round up to the nearest euro per drink.
In a taxi: tips aren’t expected, but round up if the ride was good.
Spain
In a restaurant: tip 1-2 euros for casual meals and 5-10% for fine dining. Tip in cash.
At the bar: tipping for just a drink is not expected.
In a taxi: round up the fare if you’d like. If you tip, sometimes the driver will wait to make sure you get inside safely.
Thailand
In a restaurant: at casual restaurants, leave spare change on the table. At nicer ones, hand a 10% tip in cash directly to your server.
At the bar: not expected.
In a taxi: tipping isn’t expected, but most drivers will round up the fare.
United Kingdom
In a restaurant: some restaurants add a service charge to the bill. If they don’t, tipping 10% is fine. (The U.K. has a relatively high minimum wage.)
At the bar: tipping bartenders isn’t expected.
In a taxi: you can round up the fare or leave a couple of pounds for good service.
United States
In a restaurant: tipping 15-20% is expected at U.S. restaurants. (Servers and bartenders are often paid well below the minimum wage, often as low as $2-3 per hour.) Tipping by cash or credit card is fine.
At the bar: generally, Americans leave a dollar per drink or 15-20% of the total bill.
In a taxi: again, 15-20% is the magic number for tipping.