Gettin’ Carried Away

Awhile ago, I wrote a post about leaving tips in other countries, specifically the UK. I’ve had different experiences everywhere I’ve traveled… some awkward, some completely normal. So that you won’t feel awkward about the whole tipping situation, I’m going to continue to give you some helpful tips on… tipping… this time in Western Europe.

• Some countries add a service charge, but the servers expect at least a 10% tip, as well. This happened to me in both Venice, Italy and Paris, France. I noticed this practice is followed in more upscale cities/regions.
• In Barcelona, Spain, we left our server a 10% tip. She literally chased us down to give the money back. I decided to speak to some locals to get the low down on España. I learned that the servers at most of the restaurants are salaried and receive social benefits. They told us that, if we felt compelled to leave a little extra, 3 to 5% is a-ok.
• DO NOT add the tip to the bill if you pay with a credit card. As a general rule, you should give it directly to the server
• DO NOT leave money on the table. It is considered impolite. Plus, you never know who’s lurking around, waiting to snatch it.
• If a bellhop handles your baggage, especially all the way to your room, a one-euro tip per bag is considered polite.
• In a restroom, there may be a small dish for the attendant. If he/she is actually attentive to you (towel in hand and all), 50 cents to 1 euro is sufficient.
• If you are totally unsatisfied with any service, feel free to leave no tip.

Honestly, I always felt weird leaving a small tip (or even no tip at all). And you might, as well. Just keep in mind that you’re in a different place. You’re not going to get a mean look, and no one is going to spit in your food if you don’t give an “adequate tip” to their liking. I tend to follow one rule… if the service is good, I leave a small tip. If I haven’t seen the server for an hour, if the cabbie takes the longest route, if the hostel staff is unfriendly… they don’t deserve anything extra.

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a little traveling hiatus since my trip to Pittsburgh in August. FEAR NOT! I will be making my yearly trip to NYC next month. Anyway, when I don’t have the time (or the money) to travel, I’m naturally envious of those who are planning trips. So when a friend of mine says, “I’m dreading my upcoming weekend in Disney,” I’m thinking… are you nuts?

~* Over nine hours to Germany? Let me gear up! *~

What is it about traveling that people don’t like? I find that most people are annoyed with the travel process rather than the trip itself. I’m sure we all wish we could be like Samantha from Bewitched, twitch our noses and be whisked away to a far off place in a matter of seconds. However, we must endure long lines at the airport, frequent stops on a road trip or some 50+ steps up and down subway platforms to get to our vacation destination. But seriously… what’s so bad about that?

Let’s take flying, for example. Usually, even if you factor in the packing, the transportation to the airport, the check-in/security lines and the wait for the departure, you’re going to get to most places a lot faster by plane. If you decide to take a road trip, your vacation should be about the drive and the places you see along the way. Finally, if you arrive in a city and decide to take public transportation to your hotel, keep in mind that you might be saving tons of money on cab fare.

Heck, I’ve been through a lot of crappy times for the sake of a trip. In Italy, we made the mistake of not buying return tickets to Rome when we took a day trip to Florence, so we ended up on a five-hour local train instead of the hour (and some change) express. In London, my 110-minute Tube ride from Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf cost under £5, when a cab ride could have been about £70-80!

~* THRILLED about our five-hour journey back to Rome! *~

I think that a lot of our struggles with traveling have to do with the fact that most of us live in a fast-paced world that is in a constant state of rush hour. We’re all in a hurry, even if we left the house a full hour-and-a-half before we have to be somewhere. And because we’re in a hurry, we then become impatient. We want it, and we want it now!

Instead of complaining about all the time you spend standing in lines or sitting in a waiting area, you could be doing a lot of other things with your time. Those are the key words here… your time. It is your personal time that you choose to spend any way you want. Listen to your favorite album, read a new book, buy a Sudoku puzzle book, catch up on emails, call an old friend, etc. And yes, I know that traveling can be exhausting at times. But I’m going to leave you with this thought… Out of the 300+ billion residents in America, only about four million will visit the UK in a given year (says Forbes Traveler).

Stats vary around the world, but the point is that only a fraction of the country will see a given historic landmark, unfamiliar country town, famous river, well-known piece of art, etc. You could be one of the few people in your town who has walked atop the Great Wall of China, taken a ride up the Mississippi River in Louisiana or strolled about the Irish countryside. When it comes to that, waiting in a security line for an extra 25 minutes really doesn’t bother me.

Galavanting is a newer on-line travel magazine that inspires women to ’galavant’ all over the world.  This fantastic site was created by Kim Mance and Katy Quissell. While Kim is based in Chicago and Katy calls London home, the two have built up an informative and entertaining travel site that provides women with all kinds of tips, recommendations and connections concerning the world of travel.

On Monday, December 29, the editor-in-chief (Kim Mance) will be broadcasting live from Colmar, France! She’s checking out the Christmas markets, which stay open until the December 31. This amazing video is part of a new project for the magazine called Galavanting TV, where the site will broadcast live from various locations and give viewers the chance to travel vicariously through the member of the Galavanting staff. The viewing time is 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. GMT, 8 p.m. Central European).

So what are you waiting for? Go galavanting! And be sure to tune in on Monday, December 29 and watch the first-ever live broadcast from Colmar, France.