Your Tipping Cheat Sheet

Summer is a big travel season, but it’s not the only travel season, and with travel comes a lot of things to do and remember. Packing lists, and grocery lists, and travel itineraries are all things that require your attention. By the time you reach your destination you’ve spent so much time making lists that you’ve probably forgotten something. Unfortunately, many people forget how much tip, who to tip, and when to tip. Here’s a little travel cheat sheet to help you tip everyone the right way.

Skycap at the Airport

This nice guy is the one who helps you load up a luggage cart and drag it from your car to your terminal or from baggage claim. Since he is providing you a service, you need to tip him. The standard fee is $1 to $3 per bag. For extra large, bulky bags, go ahead and add an additional dollar or two.

Hotel Bellhop

When the bellhop takes your luggage from your car to your hotel room, the standard gratuity is $1 to $2 per bag. Heavy items cost another dollar. When he takes your luggage from your hotel room to your car, the fee is the same.

Hotel Housekeeper

If your hotel room is not really that messy, you only need to tip $2 per night for a low-end hotel and $5 per night at a high-end hotel. If your family is a disaster, up the payment. Additionally, you need to tip each night as your housekeeping staff does change regularly.

Valet

When someone else parks your car, it’s customary to present them with $1 to $3. However, if you are in a bigger city you should up the tip to between $3 and $5 for valet. Keep in mind that you need to tip the valet who parks your car and the one who fetches it for you when you are finished.