Tips on tipping while traveling
UC Economist discusses tip culture with Cincinnati Edition
It’s general consensus to tip service workers, like hotel maids, valet drivers and waiters, especially in the United States. But in the midst of travel season, there can be certain scenarios where it is hard to tell how to go about tipping.
WXVU’s Cincinnati Edition spoke with Erwin Erhardt, PhD, economics professor in UC’s Lindner College of Business for advice on navigating tip culture around the world.
“Especially when we go overseas, people are unsure whether to tip or not,” Erhardt told Cincinnati Edition. There are parts of the world where it is not customary to tip at all. “One thing I’ve noticed in Britain is that the service fee is on the bill, I’d say about 70 percent of the time now,” eliminating the need to tip, he added.
Erhardt also addressed scenarios where tips are an option, but there is no direct person the tip would go to. Many museums and cultural centers offer donation bins even without a tour or service offered. Cincinnati Edition raised the question of whether these types of tips actually benefit institutions.
“We’ve seen some changes in the worldwide economy going all the way back to 2008,” Erhardt said. “More institutions are more stressed than they used to be and they really do count on those extra donations to help keep the museum or cultural enterprise going.”
Hear the full conversation on WVXU.
Featured image at top of a tip jar. Photo/Unsplash.
Related Stories
‘Designer drug’ shows early neuroprotective signal in acute ischemic stroke
October 28, 2025
Medscape highlighted new trial results led by the University of Cincinnati's Eva Mistry that found an experimental drug shows promise in protecting injured brain cells for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Is menstrual fluid ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?
October 27, 2025
The Guardian recently reported that period blood has long been thought of as ‘stinky and useless’, but startups are exploring using the fluid to test for a wide range of health conditions — including endometriosis.
What is squalane, and how does it work to moisturize skin?
October 27, 2025
The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos was featured in a Women's Health article discussing squalane, an ingredient being increasingly used in moisturizing skincare products.