Group tour holiday and the tip to the guide - AIBU to question this?

[user57424]

I am on a tour group holiday. 12 people. The trip was very expensive, you pay for the nice hotels and safe transportation etc. I chose it because I hadn't travelled alone before but I only just about managed to pay for it. anyway, after booking we have all the info through and the last page says there is the option to give a tip as is the local custom, to the guide who was with us for the week. they suggest 10 pounds a day, but at your discretion at the end of the trip.

during the trip, it has been suggested that 2,500 is collected, meaning we pay about 200 pounds each for a week. one person in the group is very loud and has sort of taken control of this and is asking when people are drawing out money so they can collect it.

these are people ive met on the tour so didn't know them before. AIBU to feel uncomfortable about this? I know they are collecting it for the guide - no concerns over that part - but I think 200 is a lot of money and the holiday was already very expensive. it is a poor country generally so I feel terrible at the same time!! I obviously have more than this guide and driver does, but I didn't plan to spend this.

never been in this situation before so don't know if it's the standard? nobody else has said anything about it but I did get the impression a couple of them were surprised at the amount, but in a group situation like this nobody wants to rock the boat or come across like a dick.

advice welcome!!!

I've worked in adventure travel for years, I've been a tour guide. Just wanted to reassure you that JammyGen is absolutely right. £50 is fine and £200 would be extortionate. In fact I suspect the guide (and certainly the local office) would be horrified to hear of this lady's antics. Whatever you feel you can afford to give and feel is appropriate will be appreciated. Don't let this lady spoil your holiday! Do you have a local office contact for Intrepid you can contact? - it might be a good idea to let them know, as this customer's antics could leave you and other passengers feeling bad about their holiday, and that's the last thing they want.

£120 per day tips even shared between two people is a huge sum on top of their wages surely?
Presumably the UK has a far higher cost of living and I can't imagine our tour guides make that much here.

I've never been on this type of holiday though. I guess I would pay the recommended amount provided I knew about this - as it's effectively a surcharge - when I booked the holiday.

You can't assume that the guides are paid any wages - they may work for tips. Employment laws aren't the same everywhere.

And it really doesn't look good when someone says that £x is a lot of money in a poor country. It's patronising and gross to decide that poor people should be happy to scale down.

£90 is not a lot of money for a Brit taking a nice guided holiday overseas. Just pay the suggested amount and stop being a jerk about it.

Bank transfer! Dis bitch need a slap lol

In this situation I would pay £100. I despise the tipping culture and always forget about it until I arrive wherever I'm going, but it is the done thing. How much would you tip a driver/guide for a full-day day trip? I usually multiply that by the number of days.

This is why I loved Japan. No tips. I even got chased down the street by a taxi driver when I rounded up my fare. He assumed I'd forgotten my change.

And it really doesn't look good when someone says that £x is a lot of money in a poor country. It's patronising and gross to decide that poor people should be happy to scale down.

I don't think it's patronising. I always pay at local rates or not that far over when I'm overseas. I've been to several South American countries and have only ever paid for things at a local rate. I can imagine a local taxi driver for example might be delighted if I suddenly decided to offer him far more than his base fare as a tip but it would be a really weird thing to do.

The "local rate" is described in the trip brochure as £10 a day.

I think part of the problem is assuming the "tip" is actually just a tip for the guide. It probably makes up almost all of his salary, and tourism is generally very seasonal.

I would be emailing the tour company to let them know exactly what's going on, and naming this self appointed "debt" collector, pointing out that this is having a negative effect on your trip.

Please dont give her a penny, people like this only get encouraged to be even more forceful when they manage to bully others into submission.
If you ask some of the others you may find they feel the same way.

Of course you wouldn’t pay British rates for something when in a foreign country, what an odd suggestion!

My parents go on a lot of those organised trips and have never had to tip an amount like that

I've been on a few of these trips and sometimes a few will tip together but usually it's a solo activity. A firm no thanks is usually enough. Is she British? Other western cultures don't always get the subtlety of an overly polite declination

Not normal at all, and I strongly disagree with advice that you should discuss affordability, or say what sum you are giving, or anything beyond a firm "thanks, but no thanks."

I would expect to follow the guidance given out by the company but pay mine direct to the guide. This is what I did when I went on safari.

That is a lot of money in tips! I would not even tip that much in the UK. Just stick to your guns!

When Brendan stops the coach, vote Tip Hoarder Lady off. Two yellow cards and she’s gone.

I think part of the problem is assuming the "tip" is actually just a tip for the guide. It probably makes up almost all of his salary, and tourism is generally very seasonal.

If this is the case, the company shouldn't be advertising the guide's services as being included in the package.

Any update?