Fodor’s listed their 5 easy tips for tipping around the world, with the key being #1: When in doubt, tip 15% (food, taxi, tuk-tuk ride). Sure, in most places that may be exceedingly generous (and in some places, towards the lower end), but it’s a safe bet and it will at least keep you from being excommunicated from that restaurant in the future.

But, if you’re one of those responsible people that actually plans ahead (I despise you), this handy guide goes into detail the tipping customs around the world. According to it, 15% may be little high and your best bet seems to be to stick to 10% when outside of the U.S.

I used to be a waiter, and nothing annoyed me more than those people that whipped out their calculators so as to give the precise tip. So my advice is to round up, don’t be afraid to be overly generous, and worry more about where you’re eating than how much to leave when you’re done.

Posted on May 06, 2009 by Matt Stabile