Americans tip as part of their lifestyle.  It doesn’t matter where you are from, when you are in the US you should understand that it is common place and part of the culture. The following is a top 5 guide to tipping for anyone visiting the beautiful country on American holidays

1.    Have some dollars ready. When you exchange your currency for US dollars, be sure to ask for a good amount of $1 dollar notes that you can stick about ten of in your wallet at all times to cover yourself.This means you won’t have to ask for change and you can tip whatever value you want easily. Although asking for change is quite common also so don’t be embarrassed

2.    Bars. If you are buying your drinks from the bar area then look to give a $1 tip per beverage. This ratio should come down little if you are buying a large number of drinks in one go. If you’re drinks are brought over to you by a bar man or lady all night, expect to leave around a 10% tip when you leave

3.    Restaurants. The really is dependent on the restaurant in question. Those at the lower end of the market only need tipping the region on 15%. For more formal sit-down meals you should expect to pay along the lines of 20-25% of the cheque.You should increase the tip amount for staff who put in the extra effort you or are particularly helpful.

4.    Bags.  A porter who takes your bags up to your room will be expecting a tip of $1 per bag. This quite a strong rule of thumb but you can always tip more if the service was great or there was a lot of effort involved for the porter. $3-$4 should be given the helpers who carry your luggage at the airport

5.    Poor service. don’t reach for the dollars in your wallet set aside for tipping if you don’t find the service satisfactory. But make sure you express your reasons. Most people who provide a service in the States appreciate feedback and won’t be offended when you give it. Florida holidays staff are particularly humble.

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