Tipping: What’s Appropriate?
Probably the hardest part of your trip will be figuring out what is appropriate to plan to bring to tip. We’re always happy to help you figure out your target range when you book, but most of the questions we get fall into these categories.
1. How Much?
As consultants, one of the most commonly asked questions is “How much do I tip?”. Well, there’s a lot that goes in to this answer. First off there’s no right or wrong answer, and it’s completely discretionary. As with tipping wait staff, we suggest you start at the industry standard, and if you have an exceptional experience, you can give a better tip.
2. Industry Standard
However, the industry standard is somewhere in that 10%-20% (of the trip cost) range, but this can vary depending on the type of hunting or fishing trip you’re on. If you are completing a hunt where you have the opportunity to harvest multiple animals or species, this may impact the amount you should plan to tip. On some trips, you only need to tip one person, but on other types, you have a staff that should be tipped. You’ll definitely know ahead of time which category you fall under.
3. Single Tip Needed for Some Trips
A horseback dall sheep hunt in the Brooks Range where your guide does everything (guide, cook, wrangler, etc.), the guide would be the only one you’d tip, and you’d typically tip him or her directly at the end of the hunt.
4. Multiple-tip Trips
On the other hand, a lodge-based fishing trip that not only involves a guide, but a full staff including a chef, servers, cleaning staff, mechanic, etc., the tip might be given to the lodge manager and pooled (split amongst everyone). Consult with the lodge manager at some point during your trip as to how they prefer handling tips, but plan to need to tip multiple people.
5. Currency
American dollars are always king. No matter where you are in the world, we recommend you tip in American dollars.
