When to tip? Who to tips? And how much to tip? Are always hot topics. There are many people in our daily lives that provide services that we would consider showing gratuity with some greens. Or some folks that go an extra mile to get things done or provide the best customer service. This is even more of a difficult issue when traveling. In some countries it is not customary to tip. In others, tips are giving for certain things and in certain amounts.
Here are some guidelines:
- Taxi driver to or at your destination - $2 to $4, depending on if handles bags and how heavy those are
- Bus driver on tours and such - $1 - $2
- Room service - $2-$5 per night. It might not be the same person making up your room throughout your stay, so it is best to leave something everyday rather that at the end of your stay
- Bellman/Porter - $1 to $2 per bag depending on the amount and weight
- Parking Valet - $2, depending on the service could be up to $5. Most folks give tip after getting their car. I think that its best to give before also. I would split up the tip with some before and a bit after.
- Masseuse/Spa service - 10% - 15%
- Waiter - 15% for adequate service, 20% for exceptional service. For not so great service, it is still a good idea to leave some tips (under 10%) as most waiters receive minimal wage since the tips are supposed to supplement it.
Note that in Asian and Pacific countries such as Japan, tipping is actually perceived as an insult. In Vietnam tipping is illegal. Other countries are not as strict regarding gratuities. For instance, in Australia and New Zealand, a tip is not expected. There are quite a few varying customs from continent to continent and country to country. Restaurants in Europe vary also. Some include tips in the tab, and some do not. In some places even if there is a service charge, you may be expected to tip a little extra. This is starting to become a common place for Eastern European establishments. So its best to take a good look at the bill prior to paying.
Before you take off on your next trip check our these tipping guides for various countries that would keep you in the know, not throwing your money away, and keeping with the local customs:
"A picture is worth a thousand words." This phrase has been around for a very long time. The original version of the phrase actually dates back 100 years. An early use of the exact phrase appeared in an 1918 newspaper advertisement for the San Antonio Light.
These days pictures decorate our lives. Facebook is filled with them, there are sites dedicated to just them, and they get shared a lot more and faster than ever.
Whenever I and my wife travel anywhere, long or short, we always have one of our cameras along. At this point we have a great arsenal. We have the Canon Powershot SX120 that has been around for some time and has been included in several of my posts. The newest addition was the Panasonic Lumix digital waterproof camera. Which is compact and great to take along. And we also have a Canon DSLR as my wife is very much into photography and has taken some of the great scenic shots seen on this site.
Since we really enjoy our cameras, have taken great shots in different conditions and they have worked great for us during travel, I think that it would great for others to also have great experience buying and using their cameras.
Point-and-shoot cameras for travel:
First thing.. Optical Zoom
we look for in a camera is the optical zoom. There are many different models out on the market. And these compete on various level. Some compete on price, easy of use, or even colors. We have seen folks at a store choose a camera based on its case color. While it is great to pick out your favorite color, it should not be the top reasons for getting a camera. No matter how cute it looks :)
Most advertising and store displays promote camera's digital zoom. And these numbers are getting quite high. Digital zoom is great if you want to take a look at an object some distance away using your camera as binoculars. However, taking a picture with digital zoom would result in a fuzzy image that you would not want to print or for that matter share as it will come out pixelated on a much larger computer screen as well. Optical zoom produces images that have much better resolution. Using the optics of the camera the image is bought forward or closer and quality of the zoomed image remains the same. With digital zoom on the other hand, image itself doesn't actually come any closer as the optics in the camera stay the same. Instead, a portion of the image is taken and is expanded to the full size of the picture, so the section of image that you are looking at becomes bigger, not closer.
You want to look for optical zoom that is 8x or above. A matching digital zoom is also good.
Secondly.. Compact and lightweight camera
Bringing camera on your travels, it should also be compact. Most point-and-shoots fit this category. You would also want it to be light, easy to hold, and to operate. Also it needs to withstand the elements and movement that comes with travel. Our Lumix is waterproof, and as we have tested on its first trip, can easily withstand playing in the ocean, light diving, hanging out and playing games in the pool. It took such great shots during that we started to use it outside of water and even have taken it along as the primary camera on some small trips.
Third... Easy Breezy
Travel camera should be easy to use. Last thing you want is to stand there and figure out how to adjust settings and take picture while your tour moves on. While most cameras have similar features, it is good idea to make sure that the ones you are most likely to use the most are available, easily accessible, and convenient. Some that you want to keep a lookout for:
Are the settings adjusted on the screen or the roll?
Can they be adjusted easily and most common ones are in easy view?
Is the flashlight built-in or does it pop up?
Where is the zoom button located? Easy to reach it and the snapshot button?
Fouth... $$$
Is its worth. While you want a camera with you that will perform and have great form and function, you also want it to not be too expensive to drag around with you while traveling.
Fifth... Memories
How the camera stores the memories is important as well. You want the camera to have storage that is comparable with multiple gadgets and not just some proprietary technologies. Standard SD cards work in many places. They are great choice and you can get one with large storage for a good price. SanDisk Flash 16 GB SDHC Flash Memory Card is around $12. Some cameras feature internal memory which means you can start taking pictures from the get go. There are also new SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards that are more expensive, with storage capacities up to 32GB, but they are not backward-compatible with standard SD slots.
If you're looking for the latest and greatest development in in the world of point-and-shoot photography, then you'll want to check out the brand new Samsung Galaxy Camera. It features a 16-megapixel sensor, 21x optical zoom, 8 GB of built-in storage and a bright 4.8-inch super clear LCD display. But what really sets it apart from the pack is that it runs an advanced version of the Android operating system (4.1 Jelly Bean). Which means it is internet ready and you can download and use apps and web browser to share your photos. It comes with option for full 3G and LTE wireless connectivity. Additionally it has GPS functionality, the ability to give voice commands and on-board photo editing that make it a great multi-functioning photo taking travel gadget
is around $12. Some cameras feature internal memory which means you can start taking pictures from the get go. There are also new SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards that are more expensive, with storage capacities up to 32GB, but they are not backward-compatible with standard SD slots.