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Post by tiffany on Mar 7, 2017 13:27:54 GMT
I was reading the Croatia itinerary that I downloaded, and I noticed that Trafalgar changed the recommended gratuities for the travel director and driver from 4.00 and 2.50 Euros to 5.00 and 3.00 Euros. I wonder if this is because travel to Europe is down, and the tour directors/drivers are not making as much money. Have people who travel with other tour companies like Globus noticed this? I noticed that Trafalgar is now offering pre-paid gratuities for Canadians, and I think I’m going to pay for my gratuities ahead of time. I never thought I’d be interested in this, however, it just seems easier to pay for them before the trip, and, in Canadian dollars. I then don’t have to worry about bringing Euros with me for tipping.
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daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58 
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Post by daphne on Mar 7, 2017 14:18:00 GMT
We also had the prepaid option on our Italian trip, worked perfectly, much easier, no worries about saving or keeping extra euros aside... the TD had a list of the prepaid gratuities which he presented to the driver and of course himself !
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Mar 7, 2017 16:46:46 GMT
I was able to prepay my gratuities also for my Rhine river cruise with Avalon. Total was $156 Canadian but not sure what that works out to per person. Like the convenience of having this dealt with before my tour. Really looking forward to this...June 1st! There are also the optional tours listed on the website now that I can pre-book and pay for. I may select a couple of them but they also have a couple of bike tours that I think would be interesting. Cycling through some of the vineyards and villages appeals to me. They supply the bikes and the tours are escorted. Read the reviews for these and people have found them enjoyable with lots to see and many photo stops. Think I'll hold off pre-booking on those days though just in case it's not a good weather day. Like to pre-book as much as possible as I know some tours have to be paid in cash (euros).
Looking forward to getting back to travelling after taking two years off during my breast cancer treatments. Will try to post a tour tale of my river cruise when I get back as others may find it of interest. Enjoy your tours Tiffany!
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Post by tiffany on Mar 7, 2017 19:08:55 GMT
I’m glad you’re getting back to travelling Joy. You deserve a trip after everything you’ve been through!
I told my travel agent that I want to pre-pay my gratuities for my trip. It comes out to $98 Cdn for both the travel director and driver, which isn’t bad.
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Post by chech on Mar 8, 2017 5:46:26 GMT
Eldertreks suggests $10 USD a day...but I pay no other tip. Director covers the driver, dragon ladies, local guides, camel guys, carriage driver etc. In the end, I like that I never had to reach into my pocket for anything.  |
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Post by tiffany on Mar 8, 2017 12:33:19 GMT
$98.00 Cdn is approximately$69.05 Euros right now. Since my tour is nine days, that comes out to 7.67 Euros a day. If 5.00 Euros goes to the travel director, that leaves 2.60 Euros for the driver. That could change depending on the exchange rate at the time the gratuities are given to them. Trafalgar still recommends 1-2 Euros per day for the local city guides. As I’m not planning on brining a lot of Euros with me, I like that my tips will be taken care of ahead of time.
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