Almost half of British travellers feel uncomfortable tipping whilst on holiday, with men in particular more reluctant to splash the cash, according to a recent survey from www.holidayextras.com.
While 51% of customers questioned said they were happy tipping for good service, 58% of the men polled by the UK's leading travel add-ons company confessed that they were not comfortable handing over their pennies, compared to only 39% of women.
British men and women were in agreement that tipping restaurant staff makes them feel awkward (14%), and a further 11% cringe when rewarding good service on an organised tour. Furthermore, ten per cent of HolidayExtras.com customers dread judging how much to tip a taxi driver.
Almost a fifth of men (19%) admitted that they felt most uncomfortable offering a gratuity in a hotel, with just 5% of women feeling the same way.
The survey carried out at www.holidayextras.com also highlighted that the majority of British travellers believe a tip should be optional (78%) and should not affect the level of service they receive.
Mike Whiting, managing editor at HolidayExtras.com, said: "For some reason, offering a tip is one of those things that makes us Brits feel awkward, particularly when overseas. It seems we need to learn from those British holidaymakers who confidently reward those they believe have delivered exceptional service."
Richard Cohen, finance expert for the Holiday Extras Expert Panel said: "Remember whilst in the UK we have a minimum wage, which theoretically guarantees someone a living wage this is not the case in all countries. In some parts of the world service staff rely on tips to earn a living and staff may take offence if you don’t tip."
Tipping – Richard Cohen’s top three tips for holidaying Brits
1. Respect local customs in terms of how much and when to tip, if at all – in some countries it is considered an insult. You can usually find out what the customs are in your guide book or on the internet.
2. Make sure you include an allowance for tips in the budget for your holiday as otherwise overspending will be inevitable.
3. Carrying smaller denominations of notes and coins will make tipping easier, and ensure you aren’t forced to be unnecessarily generous!
Check out the Holiday Extras Expert Panel - http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/about-us/expert-panel.html - for more travel advice.
-Ends-
Notes to editors
Results based on the responses of 323 Holiday Extras customers during October - November 2009.
For more information contact
holidayextras@lucre.co.uk
Lucre – 0208 332 9690
Katie-Jo Flynn, Hannah Ferguson, Melissa Geddes.
Holiday Extras is the UK number one for pre-booked airport hotels and airport parking, taking bookings for over 6.8 million travellers each year. A record-breaking 99.88% of customers are satisfied with Holiday Extras' products and service.
The company offers a wide choice of holiday add-ons including airport lounges, airports by rail, London theatre breaks, UK theme park breaks, and holiday insurance. For more information and to book please visit www.holidayextras.com
