Tipping Guide

[Mopani]

The question remains: why tipping at all? For my recent buffalo hunt in Zimbabwe I had to pay almost US$ 10.000 - a lot of money. I didn‘t shoot anything, nothing at all. Still, from me tips were expected. What for, for sitting the whole day on the cruizer? I nearly exploded! Why should I give a tip in the first place? I‘m a visiting hunter, have paid for the hunt. I‘m not responsible for the wages of the staff and income of the PH. Do those people only do their job if they get a generous tip?! I‘m a South African nature guide, often at the end of our tour, clients want to tip me. I always refuse to accept the tip - am I a taxi driver or waiter?? I mean the clients had paid me nicely for their tour, so I‘m giving my best in order to make the tour as memorable as possible. Tips are an absolute pain, one should get rid of tipping. The hunting outfitter can tip his staff from the daily fees, but to ask a hunting client to fork out additional US$ 1.400 as a tip is incredible outrageous.

 

[mark-hunter]

To my modest view:
African hunting was in serious decline in former british colonies which hystorically hosted British and european clients, by end of fifites and early sixties.
Then came the book - The horn of the hunter, by Robert Ruark.
This trigerred great response on American continent, and brought American clients en masse to Africa.
With American clients together came, the culture of tipping.
It was the change of the culture in safari industry.
And it remained till today. American clients still make the biggest percentage of safari clients today.

On photo below, is the map of countries sorted by the culture of tipping.

If, in advance asked about, or on the outfitters web site gratuities are mentioned, this means, he is used to tipping, and very much used to American clients.
The trick is - find outfitter who specilizes European clients.

Here is tipping country map, and USA is red hot in tipping department! Source - wiki.
BTW, buffalo or not, Zimbabwe or not, I wouldnt tip, for unsuccesful hunt, for sure. (1.4 k??!!, ubeliveable!!!)

Personally, when travelling to foreign country, especially Africa, i always check on web the average wages and BDP in particular country. This is to get the idea of the value of cash. Then, I also get the idea about value of tipping. If the tip is calculated by multiple average monthly income in the country... hmmmm... I will have some thoughts about it.

Map showing customs surrounding restaurant tipping around the world. no tips at all, insulted if tipped no tips at all, surprised/confused if tipped, might return it no tips at all, neutral/grateful when tipped rounding-up the bill, not expected rounding-up the bill, expected 5-10%, not expected 5-10%, expected ~10%, not expected ~10%, expected 10-15%, not expected 10-15%, expected 15-20%, not expected 15-20%, expected

 

[Mopani]

Thank you mark-hunter, very well said. As a German-South African I‘m used to moderate tipping around 5-10% mainly for waiters but never for a hunting outfitter and his staff. When returning to camp after our last trip the PH asked how much tip I would give. I could hardly trust my ears. In order to keep him happy and myself frustrated I replied 400 Dollars. So little was his reply. Some just don‘t have class. Months before the hunt I was told the average tip is US$ 1.400. I almost cancelled the hunt.

From now on I won‘t give any tip unless I get what I want. And only then money for the tracker/s and the skinner who recovers my bullet/s plus the camp staff.

 

[mark-hunter]

If you will be hunting in Namibia, drop me pm, and I can reccomend less demanding outfitter (used to European clients). Same, for buffalo in Zim. Just drop me pm.

 

[Tanks]

Thank you mark-hunter, very well said. As a German-South African I‘m used to moderate tipping around 5-10% mainly for waiters but never for a hunting outfitter and his staff. When returning to camp after our last trip the PH asked how much tip I would give. I could hardly trust my ears. In order to keep him happy and myself frustrated I replied 400 Dollars. So little was his reply. Some just don‘t have class. Months before the hunt I was told the average tip is US$ 1.400. I almost cancelled the hunt.

From now on I won‘t give any tip unless I get what I want. And only then money for the tracker/s and the skinner who recovers my bullet/s plus the camp staff.

If any of my PHs asked me for a tip, I wouldn't tip at all. However, the PHs of CMS have more class. Their company policy is tipping is appreciated but not required.

That being said total tips for my last trip (21 days) was over $5K. Before the trip I have a figure in mind, I go up or down from it based on the performance. For example, I went up for the PH and the cook. I also went up for trackers and then went down when I saw the damage they caused to the stock of the brand new 9.3x74R double (all fixed by JJ).

Some USA outfitters literally have 20+% listed on their web sites for hunts (brown bear, cougar etc.). I will not hunt with them. They own the outfit, list the actual cost of the hunt and be done with it. It is a hidden cost for the USA outfitters.

Now, in the USA the new thing in a lot of the service industry is to include 20% as a service charge. I am fine with that if that is mentioned up front.

 

[Red Leg]

I am doing my best to change the tipping culture of Europe one waiter, guide, and driver at a time. It is a formidable challenge, but I am making progress.

 

[mark-hunter]

Funny, red leg, really funny!

 

[Sabattiboy]

This tipping thing is a perfect example of how things can get out of control.
Appreciated can turn into expected and become the norm.
American influence isn't always good.
A company I worked for manufactured roof decking. The market is very competitive, and we were told that sometimes they only made a profit from the shipping.
It is a guess that offering a lower trophy fee or daily camp fee to attract hunters when they expect large tips at the end to bring the overall income per hunt up is a possibility.
In the end it seems the hunter has to decide what is financially workable for them and if the PH & company is up front about their expectations all should be smiles.

 

[Red Leg]

Funny, red leg, really funny!

Yep. Just cut a pretty wide swath through the Barcelona service industry. Surprisingly, not a single one of those generously compensated employees seemed anything but grateful.

 

[mark-hunter]

I work for last 25 years on cutting edge tecnology assets., continously get advaaced training courses, and as contractor company rep, work with clients too.
Never did i get a tip.

I wouldnt mind, getting 5 k tip, for plain and simple pg hunt, but some how it never arrives, despite perfect feedback from clients.

But clients were not americans...

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I agree that this thread should be kept going.

On my trip last year tipping was the single biggest issue causing me heartburn because answers seemed to be all over the place. I am not independently wealthy, yet I have (tried) never to be a tightwad.

I pressed my PH hard while I was over there on several occasions, as we were driving to locations. I would add he was/is also the owner, along with his brother and father. It was the only thing we talked about that seemed to make him uncomfortable; he was steadfast in that it's up to the hunter and it is absolutely discretionary, and he said it can be all over the place. In the weeks before me he had a group of hunters who killed something like 20+ animals over ten days. Not a single dollar. I was baffled by that; I do believe they were from a European country.

In the end I remembered that whole $100 per day for 1x1 that I saw on here in several places. I hunted seven days. I had cash on hand with me without any idea of what I'd actually give out when I left for my trip. I left what I thought were generous tips for the staff (don't remember the amount). I gave my PH an even thousand. He put so much effort into making my hunt the best it could be, and it was absolutely trouble free. You could argue that was his job. In my mind it was money very well spent. Zero regrets.

 

[revturbo9967]

If any of my PHs asked me for a tip, I wouldn't tip at all. However, the PHs of CMS have more class. Their company policy is tipping is appreciated but not required.

That being said total tips for my last trip (21 days) was over $5K. Before the trip I have a figure in mind, I go up or down from it based on the performance. For example, I went up for the PH and the cook. I also went up for trackers and then went down when I saw the damage they caused to the stock of the brand new 9.3x74R double (all fixed by JJ).

Some USA outfitters literally have 20+% listed on their web sites for hunts (brown bear, cougar etc.). I will not hunt with them. They own the outfit, list the actual cost of the hunt and be done with it. It is a hidden cost for the USA outfitters.

Now, in the USA the new thing in a lot of the service industry is to include 20% as a service charge. I am fine with that if that is mentioned up front.

I fully agree if a guide asked for a tip outright, he wouldn't be getting one. The classy operations will certainly will give you guidelines but never out tell you what they expect.

I'm a firm believer that if there were no tips given on these hunts in Africa, much of the staff would not work as hard or at all for that matter. I will use guidelines as a starting point and the quality of service's to finalize the distribution.

 

[Nomadx2]

I think some mis-understand the purpose of tipping. T-I-P-S ... to insure proper service.

In some industries, service staff are paid very low as part of their income is made up of tips. The goal being that those who provide the best service will be rewarded with the best tips. It creates a strong incentive for staff to excel and to weed out the under performers.

Tipping amount is certainly subject to variability based on service received. I have found the experience that some of the worst customers are the worst tippers.

 

[Nevada Wapati]

The subject of tips came up with my Outfitter/PH in South Africa last year. He asked me if I wanted recommended amounts. I said sure and he gave me the following. This was an eight-day plains game hunt.
Apprentice PH - $200
Tracker - $200
Cook - $200
Lady that cleaned, did laundry and helped in kitchen - $150

He didn't have himself listed. He said that he didn't normally receive a tip as he was the owner. I didn't agree with that as he had done a very good job getting me my animals. I normally give my PH's $100 per hunting day. I ended up giving him $500 and each of the others $200.

 

[375Fox]

I like how Europeans seem to object so strongly to tipping but have no objections to paying 20%-25% VAT taxes in their home country. It shouldn’t be called a tip, it’s a gratuity for good service and discretionary. I’ve always tipped well for people that worked hard for my hunt, even if it pushed me over my budget. It also pays off when you return.

 

[wesheltonj]

I hate the tipping culture. I am sitting here Prague, and cannot believe that service is not included. Granted the last time in was here was in 1993 and it was like everywhere else in Europe, round up. Now they are asking for at least 10 percent and up.

@mark-hunter I will be in Zagreb and Dubrovnik in a few days. What’s the story on tipping here.

By the way, I agree with find a outfitter that markets to the European market, that’s what I did and the tip amount were extremely reasonable. And yes the daily fee was higher, but I was not pressured for a mandatory tip of X amount. And they were happy to get a tip.

Long live Club Med.

 

[mark-hunter]

@wesheltonj
Welcome to Croatia!
Just to get you idea of value of money, average monthly salary is just below 1000 EUR, lets say 1000 USD per month.

The story of tipping.
Only In very high class restaurant, 5-10% is considered ok.

More and more, way to pay the bill is by credit card. You pass the card, and thats it. No tip.
My friends from Italy told me, they are not allowed to buy anything in cash in value more then 1000 eur. All by credit card, and bank accounts. Cash is very much discouraged.

In Croatia, daily coffee, drinks, snacks in pub, or guest houses etc... No problem for no tip at all, but you can round up the bill.
I round up the bill, maybe 3 out of 5 times, (most times for being lazy to wait for change)
The social background is that people live hard, making efforts to meet the months ends, and in general they will not tip.

For example, if coffee is 8, you can round up to 10. Or if a bill for coffee and juice is 18, you can round up to 20. If you dont round up, no body will say or think, anything wrong.

So far, the currency is kuna, but most probably we will switch to eur next year.

In hunting, croatian hunters do not tip. There is trophy fee. There are possible other fees, like daily rate of a guide, or hunting ground entry fee, all that will depend on outfitter. But what they say to be the cost, then is fixed. (except they will charge on CIC score)

Sometimes, (but thats up to me), I brake common non-tipping rules.
This spring, I went in the north of country to hunt roe buck.
So, I was succesful in that hunt.

The restaurant and bar is part of hunting venue.
I came to the bar., in hunting boots and rifle in hand. (in the corner is rack for rifles)
All there, were people I know. Not friends, but people I meet in that hunting outfit.
Most of them. Locals. (there must always be at least one or two locals as full time bar guests, plus owner, few hunters, and some other visitors that I did not know)
As I had a nice roe in the bag, i said to girl tending the bar, please make the round for all in bar, on my account! (there was no bell to ring)

But, then, that was it!
Then the rounds, came back, till late in the night. (I dont know, how I got to my room that night, and i paid for only one round of drinks, then the drinks kept just coming in, and it was diffcult to keep up)
In occasions like this, the general rule is to return the favour, and call for next drink, althugh I did not count on that at that moment, as I was trully happy with my roe buck)

Bottom line: if you go to high class restaurant, pay 5-10% tip. cash. Even if the bill is paid by credit card.
In bars, or street quick meals, in guest houses, forget about tipping and dont feel bad about it. Most convenient, pay with credit card, and thats it. If you pay in cash, non obligatory, you can round up the bill,

If need be, drop me a pm, I will send you my mobile phone number, I can assist for whatever you need by viber, or whatsapp, or direct phone call.

I need to visit Zagreb, in a few days to do some shopping, so we might get a chance to meet, and have a drink (on me). But if you are going from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, the highway will take you in other direction from my hometown.

They built the bridge to connect dubrovnik to mainland, but I think (if I am not mistaken) the connecting road is not yet finished, so most probably to get to Dubrovnik, you will transit via coastal strech of Bosnia, few kilometres)

About hunting options.
Near Dubrovnik, there is island of Mljet. They have there mouflon, and wild boar. I dont know the details, I know I was offered once to go there but I did not. I can ask, if there is option for this, for you if interested.

Another interesting area, there is barbary sheep (aoudad) on Mosor mountains, near town of Split, not too far away. I can check that as well, and let you know.
(My PH from Namibia went there for aoudad, 2 years ago)

Roe deer season is open, Zagreb areas are nice for this.

 

[Nyati]

I like how Europeans seem to object so strongly to tipping but have no objections to paying 20%-25% VAT taxes in their home country. It shouldn’t be called a tip, it’s a gratuity for good service and discretionary. I’ve always tipped well for people that worked hard for my hunt, even if it pushed me over my budget. It also pays off when you return.

I don´t know about the rest of Europeans, but I strongly object about paying VAT, along with other taxes which end up taking around 50% of our income

 

[VertigoBE]

I don´t know about the rest of Europeans, but I strongly object about paying VAT, along with other taxes which end up taking around 50% of our income

tax on income, I'm at 60%, then I get to add 21% VAT on most things I buy (food is 6%), and some property taxes and such on top.

 

[Red Leg]

I don´t know about the rest of Europeans, but I strongly object about paying VAT, along with other taxes which end up taking around 50% of our income

tax on income, I'm at 60%, then I get to add 21% VAT on most things I buy (food is 6%), and some property taxes and such on top.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs ....."

Didn't some European fellow coin that phrase.