RS Recommended Tour Guide tipping in Spain

I would say to tip these guides, themselves or others they work with, unless there's something specific on the websites about not tipping them. You don't tip them when they're part of a RS tour, because the tour has taken care of that, but using them on their own would mean a tip for good service. Concepcion did a great job on my RS tour.

Thanks for your reply. I just remember the (probably outdated "rule") about not tipping an owner. We are paying cash for 2 of the 3 tours (not Concepcion's) and for those 2 cash tours, it's a private tour.

Joanne

Why would you ever tip an owner/guide?

I presume you've paid the guide for the tour (or will do)? In which case why the need for a tip? Besides, you haven't even been on the tour yet so you have no idea if the service warrants a tip.

The only tour guides I've ever tipped have been those who provide free tours. I recall being on one in Rome which was led by an extremely knowledgeable young American woman. I assumed she was likely a student in Rome and offered tours partly because of her love of Roman history but also as a means to earn a bit of income from tips.

Those advertised "free" tours are a different animal. Those guides have to pay the organizing company a fee for everyone who shows up on the tour. It's several euros per person. They start out in the hole, so they absolutely should be tipped, and generously.

If I have paid for their service, I don't tip. If it's a free tour or a nominal fee, I would tip.

I bet you tip the person that poured your beer though? Why would you not tip someone who is making your trip memorable?
If it is a private tour, the guide may have done extensive research about your specific theme, of course on their own time. If they went out of their way to make your tour special and enjoyable, buy them lunch, a coffee or give them a small tip.

I avoid the "free" tours like the pest.

We are paying cash to private guides (recommended by RS or travelers here) in Cordoba and Granada. We are using Walking Tours of Seville (also RS recommendation) in Seville. We already paid by credit card for a group tour with them. Concepcion (owner) emailed to lmk that one of her colleagues will be running the tour.
I guess I am wondering, for those of you who may have used the people RS recommends for private tours, do you tip extra?
Just curious.

I think tour guide tipping is a good topic. I never know what is right, so I am inconsistent.
Variables have included: Geographic location; Group vs. Private
Two food tours in Japan: no one tipped , no seeming expectation of a tip.

Culinary Backstreets tour in Turkey- no one tipped.

Free tours - always tip $20 pp.

London Walks - never tipped, nor saw anyone tip.

Context Tour in Japan and all private guides in Asia - always tipped.

Food tours in NY -didn’t tip.

Road Scholar group leaders and bus drivers - never tipped, some do.

Private guide US city- owner said tip 20%.

Private guide Turkey - tipped 10%.

Concepcion group tour in Seville - didn’t tip.

Greeters - never tip, do offer lunch, coffee, gelato.

I would love wisdom on this. It isa guessing game for me.

I think the “never tip the owner” rule used to apply in hair salons. But now, in the US,tipping is universally expected. I tip the hairdresser-owner.

I do not tip if I buy a bagel or a cup of coffee at the counter. I think this confuses visitors to the US.

My assumption is that if the guide has quoted you a price for your tour, that is the price for your tour, period. No further tip is expected . That said, exceptional service is always nice to recognize as you see fit.

I've been to around 50 countries, been to Europe over a couple dozen times. Worked overseas. Helped setup offices and resellers in Belgium, Hungary, china etc.

I can't keep it straight.

I must be slow.

The best tour guide in the universe, Stephen McPhilemy, tells his origin story (his first tours) of becoming a tour guide in Ireland: first he is volunteered as someone who can speak French to be a tour guide of a French group (he doesn't speak French beyond a few words). No tips there by the way. And then he gets a second group of Americans. And at the end of tour, these American start putting money in his hand. And he's like "what is this?"

What is going on? But one after another, every person is putting cash into his hands. Were they asking for change? Did they need coins for the WC? He didn't get it.

He tells this story on a RS tour of Ireland. We are all laughing. And of course this being a RS tour, nobody tips him at the end of the tour.

A couple years later, my wife and I took a tour he did as his own company. He is the owner. He owns this new company. At the end of tour, sure enough my tour mates start tipping him. Big tips too. And my wife and I are the last ones to be dropped off. And I say "I am not supposed to tip you, right?" And he says "you don't have to tip me." And my wife is poking me to tip him. And I know if I don't tip him, I'll be the only one in group that doesn't tip him.

And this is the best guide in the universe. I am not kidding. He has a gift. Amazing talent. He'll make you sing. He'll make you laugh. He'll make you cry. You'll learn a ton too.

Anyway, I don't tip him. And he looks back at me with his eyes that seem to be saying "you cheap bastard."

So, yeah, I dunno.

Happy travels.