Australia

Tipping in Australia is basically non-existent.

Canada

Most service staff in Canada expect something in the 10-20% tip range, depending on what city, if it's French or English Canada, and the level of service. Tipping is expected for restaurants, bars, food delivery and taxis. You should not try to tip the police, especially the Royal Canadian Mountain Police - they will not appreciate it. 15% is a good tip in a restaurant. In Montreal, tips for a good meal at a good restaurant with good service should be tipped more. In most of English Canada, you would find it a lot harder to have the same experience, and anyway would not be expected to tip as much.

On the other hand, you should not tip if service is bad. If the service is really bad, leave a nickel - they should get the message. There is no excuse for bad service - it's so easy to give! And if you work in the service industry, the little effort can gain you a personal reward - tips!

China

You'll never have to tip anywhere in China. It's the one consolation from the fact that foreigners are charged more as a matter of government policy.

When I was in Shanghai 15 years ago, people would run after me with a couple of jiao change. Last year they kept a couple of dollars unless I waited them out. Mind you, the service has improved a thousand per cent.

Egypt

In Egypt you are expected to tip - it's a way of life. If you go on a cruise on the Nile or on Lake Nasser, at the end of the cruise you will be asked to leave tips for the boat crew and any one else involved in the tours. Tipping the guide is at your discretion, but a good guide is worth a good tip.

Similarly, if you go to somewhere like Luxor or Aswan and use a caleche (horse-drawn 'buggy') to get about, the driver will expect a tip on top of the agreed fare. It's up to you whether you pay it, but the man will look aggrieved if you don't! Taxi drivers don't get tipped.

Estonia

Tipping in Estonia is not very common. Taxi drivers like to keep the change and sometimes waiters in a fancy restaurant would too, but they won't be insulted if you don't do it. You'll noticed that some small cafés and pubs have a jar or box on the counter labelled 'Tip' on it. Looks like it's working too. At least it's a smart idea.

France

In France, in restaurants, though not at bars, service must be included in the price, by law. It is usually about 15% or so.

Germany

Tipping seems strange to many Germans. The people you expect to tip (loo attendants for example) have a fixed price (50pfg) but tipping hairdressers and the like may seem akin to starting a revolution.

I almost never tip taxi drivers, since mostly they don't even open the door for me. But I do leave a pressie for the bin men on the first collection after Christmas. Despite my nagging suspicion that they earn more than me.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong taxi drivers do not expect tips (which is a darn good thing as they mostly don't deserve them) unless they are taking you to the airport or the MTR station which connects with the airport, when the cost of carrying luggage mysteriously multiplies.

I flagged a driver who spoke a little English, drove very well, cut five minutes off my usual journey time, and opened the door when we got there. He got the equivalent of 50p (last of the big spenders, here) and was happy with it.

Italy

No tip is expected in restaurants throughout Italy. If you feel guilty, just remember that you are being charged a coperto ('cover charge') or possibly for pane ('bread'), as well. If you're feeling generous, you can leave some coins on the table as you leave.

Japan

Don't.

Mexico

In Mexico tipping is expected for almost any service - if not just a common courtesy to help compensate people who are paid little for their work except for tips. Taxis, restaurants, food delivery folks all should be tipped. Generosity is appreciated, stinginess or no tip for bad service is understood or grudgingly accepted; it might be that your waiter believes in Karma - just make sure that if you go back again, return a favour.

In Monterey, you can find a parking meter and pump some coins in but it could be a meter with a short time limit. If this is the case, you can ask the patrolling meter cop to watch the meter with an appropriate 'tip' to keep him motivated, just in case it runs past the maximum time and you promptly get a ticket.

If you take a cab in Mexico City, they have to use the taximeter by law. If the meter is 'broken' you can get out and catch the next cab which will be waiting right behind. Otherwise, if you are adventurous, know where you are going and your Spanish is good enough, then you can negotiate a price. If you do, make sure you settle the price with tip included or calculate your negotiating price minus a tip. Otherwise it is common courtesy to tip the metered amount. If you are travelling all over Mexico City, you should know where you are going as the taxi driver may not, and may not have a map. It is not like catching a cab in London where they all have the 'knowledge'.

If you do find an organised cabbie who gets you where you want efficiently you should consider that. If he is not so organised, and you have to pull out your city road map - consider that he probably has a hard time making money driving you around for hours except on the extra income from tips, and the cab fare is very reasonable to begin with - maybe the road map (Guia Roji for example) would make a very nice tip.

New Zealand

Don't tip. Ever. You don't have to, people will generally be nice to you as long as you don't treat them like your personal slave. Service is almost always included, as is the sales tax, so the price you see is the price you get. The only exceptions are:

• Exceptionally good service
• If the menu says 'Service not Included' (rare)
• Telling the taxi driver to keep the change (so he doesn't have to fumble around for 35 cents)

Conversely, New Zealanders (and Australians too) are notoriously bad tippers, and consequently get bad service sometimes in other countries.

United Kingdom

All British people know this: you do not tip cash at the bar in a pub. If you are impressed with the barkeep's service, you can offer to buy them a drink. Such an offer will be genuinely appreciated, even though it may not be accepted. If it is, the barkeep might take the tip in the form of cash to 'have one [a drink] later'. This will generally be for half a pint of beer, or a small measure of spirits - you would not expect them to take for a larger drink unless you specifically asked them to.

It seems to be a grey area whether to tip for meals served in a pub. Generally, you have to decide whether a particular establishment is a pub that serves food (don't tip) or a restaurant with a bar (do tip).

United States

Restaurants in the USA usually call for a 15-20% tip, however, if your server is a complete jerk, you aren't expected to give them a dime of your pocket-money. Of course, you may have the misfortune of going to a restaurant that automatically includes a 15% tip in the check, but for all those US males out there who pull out their little calculators every time they receive the bill, having the tip already indicated for them can save a lot of embarrassment.

In pubs, you are expected to put a dollar or two into the pot at the bar. However, since you usually pay only at the end (rather than for each drink as you go), this does not get too excessive!

In most states of the US the tax is around 7-8%, so you just tip twice the tax - a little more or less depending on the service you got. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. However, some people just don't understand what the big deal is with figuring out what 15% of the total is... You just take ten percent of the total, divide that by two, and then find the sum of both figures!