Trip Leaders are often asked about tipping -- should you tip and how much. Tipping is a way of expressing your thanks for good service. Though tipping may appear to be included in your package -- it is very minimal. If your package included dinner at your hotel, you should tip your servers at least an additional 10% based on the cost of your meal.

For instance, in Italy, if you were to go out for a 3-course dinner, you would easily spend about $40 daily or $280 for the week. Then you need to add to that 7 breakfasts for $10 each or $70 for the week. You are now looking at a minimal 10% tip of $35 for the week.

But servers in European hotels in ski resorts, generally go way beyond just being good. They get up extra early for our departure to make sure we have breakfast before leaving for the airport. They stay late because we are having so much fun we don't want to leave the dining room. Pictured below is the staff from the Hotel Rezia in Bormio, Italy. They were excellent and were shown gratitude for their excellent service with very generous tips. These guys and gals were the greatest.

Along the same vein, don't forget to tip your bus drivers, tour guides, and maids -- they DO make a BIG difference. They go out of their way to make sure that you get the best view of their country in a short period of time.

A rule of thumb is, when in doubt -- TIP.