How much should you tip when traveling?

Travel tipping splits into two problems: the service roles you only encounter while travelling, and the fact that norms change completely at borders. For the first, in the United States plan on a few dollars per bag for a porter or bellhop, a few dollars per night for housekeeping left daily rather than at checkout since staff rotate, a few dollars for a doorman who hails a cab, roughly 15 to 20 percent for a tour guide on a private tour and a few dollars per person on a group tour, and a similar range for spa services unless a service charge is already listed. Hotel concierges are tipped for effort rather than routinely, more for a hard restaurant booking than for directions.

Internationally the rules invert often enough that assuming American norms is the error. In Japan tipping is not practiced and can cause genuine awkwardness or be refused. Much of continental Europe includes service in the bill, and rounding up or leaving a small amount is customary rather than a percentage. In the United Kingdom and Australia, restaurant tipping is modest and often optional, and hospitality staff are paid a full minimum wage. Parts of the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America have their own conventions, and in some countries a service charge is legally required to be disclosed. Check the destination specifically before you travel rather than generalizing from home, and read the bill for a service charge before adding to it, since paying twice is the most common tourist mistake.