Đọc và trả lời các câu hỏi: When you're abroad, trying to find out who to tip is never straightforward and neither is trying to work out the exact amount. To make things even more complicated, the rules for tipping vary greatly from country to country. Even people from the same country can't agree on how much to tip. However, here are some general guidelines which might help the traveller. You face your first dilemma as soon as you land at the airport - the taxi ride. Taxi drivers generally do ...

When you're abroad, trying to find out who to tip is never straightforward and neither is trying to work out the exact amount. To make things even more complicated, the rules for tipping vary greatly from country to country. Even people from the same country can't agree on how much to tip. However, here are some general guidelines which might help the traveller.

You face your first dilemma as soon as you land at the airport - the taxi ride. Taxi drivers generally do expect tips, but rather than there being a precise amount, people round up the fare, or just tell the driver to keep the change.

Your next encounter is with the hotel porter and you know he's expecting a tip, but the problem is trying to figure out how much. It seems that in many European countries €3-€5 would be an appropriate amount.

Then, of course, you have to eat. In some countries such as Ireland, Chile, Poland and Portugal, the customary tip in restaurants is 10-15% unless a service charge is included, so the first rule of thumb is always check the bill. In other countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Spain, where a 10-15% service charge is either very common or compulsory, you may want to leave an additional tip if you think the service was particularly good, but it certainly isn't obligatory. However, in some countries it may seem strange if you do leave a tip. In Iceland, for example, the waitress might be insulted if you tipped her. In Japan, if you left a tip, the restaurant staff wouldn't be offended, but you would probably be pursued down the street by someone trying to return your money. And in New Zealand, although it's unlikely anyone would chase after you, you'd definitely get some odd looks if you left a tip.

And your problem with tipping isn't over when you leave the restaurant. Next you discover the tour guide, the hairdresser and the toilet attendant are all expecting a tip, but again, how much? Perhaps the best option in these cases is to ask the local people what is acceptable or observe what others do. Of course, you could simply play safe and tip everyone you meet!

(Adapted from Face-to-face Upper-intermediate)