Does anyone have good tipping recommendations for a driver/escort, site guide and restaurants? I want to reward good service without going broke. Thank you in advance!
Posted by
8239 posts
I have visited several Arabic countries and you would likely be expected to tip generously for a guide.
We did a great two week tour of Egypt in January, and our guide was fantastic, so I tipped her $200 for 12 days of touring. Our tour company told us that the recommended amount would have been about $150.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
302 posts
We just returned from Jordan on Monday. The driver we worked with set us up with 3 different drivers over the course of our stay, and his recommendation was 10-20JD for each driver as a tip (we went on the higher end). We didn’t use any site guides and just rounded up at restaurants.
Posted by
Belgium
67 posts
Tipping is not mandatory in Jordan. So don't listen to the advice of tour operators. They always exaggerate what you should normally tip. Also keep in mind that the average driver earns about 500 JOD, which is about 700 dollar. So if you're tipping 20 JOD a day, you're doubling the drivers normal wage.
Most locals never tip at all. Nobody will drop you off in the middle of the desert if you don't tip at all :-). I'm not saying you shouldn't tip if the service is good but you shouldn't overdo it. As in most countries, they take advantage of American tourists because they come from a country where giving high tips is the standard.
And my advice, I would just rent your own car. I've been a few times to Jordan and you don't really need a escort nor a driver. There is almost no traffic as soon as you get out of Amman. On top of that all the important places to visit are very close to the highway which goes from Amman to Aqaba. It's a safe country so you don't really have to worry on the road and you get the occasion to meet local people. You also don't have to worry about the police as the police are friendlier to foreigners than to their own people. At every check point they simply said welcome to Jordan and please drive on without any further check, while I saw local people who had to open their trunk.
By the way, when I was driving in the countryside, I got a flat tire and then a local garage fixed my tire and when I wanted to pay for it, they wouldn't even take my money, let alone a tip because it was against their religion and their belief that they should always help people in need. Just goes to show what the difference is between the real locals and those who work in the tourist industry.
For restaurants, taxi drivers, site guides,... you can just round up. I wouldn't give more than 1 JOD.