We got to Europe last week and on the first day had a great lunch with another American couple we were paired up with at a garden table. Alex was an accountant from Albuquerque who was often in Europe, with an American client in Germany.

Before the bill came, I asked him to remind me what the tipping custom was. He said to simply round up to the nearest 5-Euro mark, or 5-10%. That’s typical to what I’ve learned from travel books, too. As Rick Steves says, “if your tip speaks big at home, muzzle it on your travels.”

Still the urge is to “help” hospitality workers wherever you are. My wife sometimes feels bad as I leave a European-sized tip, asking “is that enough?” At the same time, I don’t want to ‘corrupt’ Europe with the way things work in the USA.

Most would agree that tipping is out of control in the USA. Even our Italian bike guide agrees. Let’s not spread the tipping contagion with our travels! How do you handle tipping when you are overseas?

Here’s a meme for the USA …

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