The reason Australians are considered ‘the world's worst travellers'
'Who are the worst travellers?' I'm making small talk with the taxi driver taking me from my hotel to Cairo airport. He's been complaining about some foreigners whose luggage didn't fit into his boot and had to be nursed on laps, clients complaining all the way. 'Australians,' he says.
He doesn't even hesitate. Doesn't everyone love us? We're low maintenance, out for a good time, eat pretty much whatever's on our plate. What's not to like about us? 'Tips,' he says. 'Australians don't tip,' and it's true. We just don't get tipping. We're miserly tippers because we come from a country where, by and large, waiters, bar staff, hospitality workers and just about everyone else in the service industry is paid a decent wage.
But that's not the case everywhere. In the US, the federally mandated basic combined cash and tip hourly minimum wage for tipped employees – defined as someone who regularly receives more than $US30 ($50) per month in tips – is $US7.25 ($12).
Most states have a basic wage for tipped staff well above that, but even in the state of New York, which has the country's highest hourly minimum rate of $US16.50 ($27.50), a waiter needs tips to survive – and from this comes their aggressive pursuit of customers who fail to tip well.
In developing countries, most waitstaff and hospitality workers are paid a miserly wage, and for them tips are absolutely crucial.
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Knowing that Australians are unlikely to tip, some of our better tour operators now include a provision for tips in their tour cost. If they don't, some destination management companies that manage tours on their behalf are unwilling to work with those operators.
Tour operators that want the best possible experience for their guests recognise that they need to tip. At the other end of the spectrum, operators offering rock-bottom prices don't include tips, and their guests have no right to expect anything other than a low level of service.
Independent travellers who might be unfamiliar with tipping – and possibly even embarrassed by the whole business – may have no idea how much to tip. As a rule of thumb, I tip 10 per cent of the bill in restaurants and to taxi drivers, and about $1 for each bag to hotel porters. If there's a tip box in your hotel room, give $5 to $10 per person for each night of your stay.
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