Tipping Guide

[K-man]

Exactly. If he is doing the work of the P.H. he should be rewarded like the P.H. However, if he is on the phone booking hunts, doing business, etc, his tip will disappear quickly in my eyes.

 

[BWH]

It really is an interesting topic.... in the US people regularly give 20% gratuity for pretty shitty table service from a waiter/waitress. However, when you are talking about a guy that is guiding you in harsh conditions, busting his ass, beating up a vehicle, burning diesel, strategizing with trackers, cooks, skinners, etc. People are hesitant to even give 10%..... very strange. At the end of the day, people should feel comfortable with what they give & not feel pressed. Although in the grand scheme why do people scrutinize $500 vs $1000 tip, on a $10k+ hunt? I think in the end generosity goes a long way.

 

[JimP]

I think that one problem with tipping is that people are now conditioned to expect it no matter what the service is like, good or bad. I remember walking into a restaurant one night with about 15 of my drunk buddies, they all gave the waitress a bad time and kept her running, I am sure that she was about to quit when we finally left, but when we left I would be willing to bet that there was $200 laying on the table for her plus the money for the dinners. She earned it by just putting up with us.

I think the same is for a PH on a hunt. Why is it that some countries don't believe in tipping and will not leave a thing and then the next group of hunters come in from another country that believes in tipping and then they go overboard with the tips. Does the PH earn more from the hunters that don' t believe in tipping to make up for their beliefs? I doubt it.

I have always been the type of person that someone that is providing a service should be paid for their work and not have to depend on the tips, the tips are there for what extra that they do for you and not something that they should be expecting.

 

[BWH]

Obviously different cultures & societies have different views. However, one would think if a PH was guiding the group that were notorious tippers vs. a group that were historically not. Human nature tells us which one he is going to be more apt to go the extra mile for.
Either way, to each their own.

 

[Bobpuckett]

Why is it that some countries don't believe in tipping and will not leave a thing and then the next group of hunters come in from another country that believes in tipping and then they go overboard with the tips.

In Countrys across Europe the tip is figured right in with the bill so most but not all Europeans are not use to leaving a tip as it is already in the figures.

 

[Charles Moniz]

Thank you Jerome for great information and a clear direction. I learned a few things and this will help me on future Safaris.

 

[Waterguy631]

With the Rand being so poor against the dollar is it better to tip in dollars I don't want to short change my PH and staff

 

[BWH]

Excellent question!

 

[CAustin]

Remember that the dollar will be preferred by PH but not everyone has access to currency exchange. I have taken dollars for professional staff but rand for laundry, cook, skinners and trackers on all three if my trips and all seemed to be happy. Simply know the conversion rate going over and tip accordingly.

 

[Hank2211]

Remember that the dollar will be preferred by PH but not everyone has access to currency exchange. I have taken dollars for professional staff but rand for laundry, cook, skinners and trackers on all three if my trips and all seemed to be happy. Simply know the conversion rate going over and tip accordingly.

I think this is good advice. Apart from the PH, the local staff will really know nothing about exchange rates. They only know that they can't spend US$ in RSA without converting it, and they're never sure if they're getting a fair deal (odds are they are right to be sceptical!). So giving rand is actually easier for them, ion my experience. As things now stand, it's also a saving for the hunter who is paying the tip, since you don't have to tip the US$ equivalent. Still US$ for the PH though.

Of course, this is not an issue in Zim, where US$ are the local currency.

 

[Bobpuckett]

Remember that the dollar will be preferred by PH but not everyone has access to currency exchange. I have taken dollars for professional staff but rand for laundry, cook, skinners and trackers on all three if my trips and all seemed to be happy. Simply know the conversion rate going over and tip accordingly.

This is good advice but be sure to check with your PH/Outfitter they can tell you what is best for their area.

 

[JimP]

Just because the rand is in the tank doesn't mean that you can't tip in it. Just adjust your tip accordingly.

I tipped both my outfitter and PH in US dollars and paid the person that videoed my hunt in US dollars along with my experience with the cheetahs.

As was mentioned the camp help and a lot of the others will not have a good access to be able to convert the US dollars to rand without having to pay extra to be able to do it.

 

[Rob404]

I tipped my PH and his staff and I'm glad I did when I ran into a Problem at Tambo on my return trip he jumped right in and took care of it

 

[jeff]

I want to tip my outfitter / PH and tell them to tip out accordingly to staff as he should know who is doing their job and how much they should get, I trust them to be honest with my tip money. Have done it both ways and this is way I prefer.

 

[Michael Dean]

Just started contacting different outfitters regarding hunting packages that they have available and inquiring what to expect in terms of additional costs, expenses. One outfitter already gave a detailed tip guide that he suggested was reasonable; the total of tips equaled 20% of the trip. I'm not going to book a hunt where the outfitter expects me to subsidize his employees' salary. I think tipping 10% for the total of the trip is reasonable but I'm not going to book with this character.

 

[jeff]

Percent of hunt as far as tipping is only a guide line, if your PH works hard hunting impala and warthog the percent would be much smaller than if you took a nyala or waterbuck for instance, and yet he may have not worked any harder, especially if bowhunting from a hide, it's no harder to shoot a sable than a warthog so tip on how much effort he puts out and what opportunities you have. Some very inexpensive hunts can be good and some higher priced hunts may not be.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Just started contacting different outfitters regarding hunting packages that they have available and inquiring what to expect in terms of additional costs, expenses. One outfitter already gave a detailed tip guide that he suggested was reasonable; the total of tips equaled 20% of the trip. I'm not going to book a hunt where the outfitter expects me to subsidize his employees' salary. I think tipping 10% for the total of the trip is reasonable but I'm not going to book with this character.

Welcome to AH.
Tipping is a topic that is so personal it will set many people on edge.
Godlike with your search.

 

[TallGrassHunter]

I'm getting to this party long after it is over but is a subject that curdles me a bit. Let me just say I have always tipped what I thought generous on every hunt, and that includes a hunt that had added drama which should not have existed. Here is what as a consumer I would like. Charge what you want for your services without tips. If the hunt or staff are not up to snuff a pre determined rebate, ie. your pre determined tip, is subtracted. That would provide proper incentive to staff and leave the hunter without wondering what everyone is expecting additionally.

 

[CAustin]

Going to Zimbabwe this summer and taking just US dollars! Smaller denominations for the staffers of course.

 

[sestoppelman]

US dollar is the official currency there last I heard.