What is the best way to tip a European tour guide?

Question

I am taking a large group and will have about $4000 in tip money to give to the guide, but I don't want to carry around that much money and can only withdraw $300 per 24 hours from my ATM. I'm thinking traveler's cheques, but my tour consultant keeps saying not to give the guide traveler's cheques but rather to give a "check card," which would debit funds from MY account. HELP!

Answer 1

A check card is just a prepaid debit card.  It doesn't come from your bank account, but rather from a separate account maintained by Visa.  If you give the card to a guide, the guide can use it like any other Visa card up to the value that is placed on the card.  You could theoretically give a card to each guide as a tip.  You could also use the same sort of card to get money from ATMs in addition to the amount your bank account will give you.  It will work exactly like your normal ATM card, and the guides will almost certainly prefer cash payment in euros to any other form of tip.

Answer 2

anytime we go away we give x amount to the girl that organizes the tours and x amount to bus driver x amount to tour guide and x amount to staff that wait at the tables there is 30 of us going on the 25 of this month and we all gave 11 euros so that's split 3 ways hope  this helps you

Answer 3

Umm if you are talking UK & Ireland, I have no idea what a check card - does she mean to pay by cheque? If so that woul dwork but the money will come out of your account.

Perhaps you could send a cheque when you get home? If you don't want to do that then you could get a postal order from a Post Office which they can cash.They are free as far as I know and are probably the easiest way to do things. I think you can get international postal orders - talk to your local Post Office at home too.