How Much to Tip a Tour Guide, by Trip Type
There is no single rule, so the best source is the operator running your trip, followed by what outfitters and travel writers publish. Here is what we could verify:
| Trip | Suggested tip | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-day or one-day rafting trip | 10–15% of the trip cost, given to the trip leader | OARS trip FAQs |
| Sea kayak tour | About 10% per person of the trip cost | San Juan Kayak Expeditions FAQ |
| Guided backpacking trip | 10–20% of the trip cost | Wildland Trekking guide FAQ |
| Group walking tour in Europe (about two hours) | €2–5 per person, more in small groups | Rick Steves, Tipping in Europe |
| Private guide in Europe (a couple of hours) | €10–20 for the group, more if the guide goes above and beyond | Rick Steves, Tipping in Europe |
| Guide talk at a sight you already paid to enter (Europe) | Nothing extra, or a euro or two | Rick Steves, Tipping in Europe |
| Japan | Not expected; a private guide used to overseas visitors may accept one | Japan National Tourism Organization |
Operators with many staff on a trip often put a suggested amount in your pre-trip paperwork. Backroads, for example, lists a per-guest recommendation for its trip leaders in each trip's planning materials, and says all other gratuities are included in the price. OARS does the same for its international trips, and Sea Kayak Adventures puts its suggested amount in your reservation materials.
How Much Do You Tip a Tour Guide in the U.S.?
For guided outdoor trips, the published outfitter numbers cluster around 10–20% of what you paid. OARS explains its 10–15% suggestion by pointing out that it runs a service business with "a host of behind-the-scenes contributors in addition to the guides on your trip." Wildland Trekking tells prospective guides that its guest-facing recommendation is 10–20% of the trip cost and that tips vary a lot from trip to trip.
Base the percentage on what the guiding cost you, not on what you spent on flights to get there. If the service was poor, a smaller tip is your call; tips are at the guest's discretion on every operator page we checked.
How Much to Tip a Kayak Guide
San Juan Kayak Expeditions, which runs sea kayak trips in Washington's San Juan Islands, answers this directly: "The industry standard for tipping is approximately 10% per person of the trip cost." Sea Kayak Adventures says its suggested amount varies by location and tour type, and puts it in your reservation materials.
Rafting and River Trips
OARS suggests 10–15% of the trip cost on both its one-day and multi-day river trips, given in cash or by personal check to the trip leader, who shares it among all the guides and support staff.
Tipping Tour Guides Abroad
Europe
Rick Steves notes that tipping in Europe "isn't as automatic nor as generous as it is in the US." For a group tour such as a two-hour city walk, he suggests €2–5 per person, with the higher end for small groups. For a couple of hours with a private guide, €10–20 for the group is fine, more if the guide went beyond the job, such as booking advance tickets or arranging a driver. If you already paid for a tour or admission at a sight, he does not tip the guide extra, though a euro or two is enough if you want to.
Do You Tip Tour Guides in Japan?
Usually not. The Japan National Tourism Organization says it is not common to tip in Japan for services in bars, cafes, restaurants, taxis and hotels. It adds that a private guide or interpreter "accustomed to overseas practices" may accept a tip as thanks. If you do tip, put the money in an envelope (small cash envelopes are sold at convenience stores, stationery stores and 100 yen stores) and hand it over discreetly. Tipping is not expected even then.
Tour Guide Gratuity on a Multi-Day Trip: How to Give It
- Tip at the end. On a multi-day trip, give one tip on the last day rather than small amounts each day.
- Give it to the lead guide. OARS asks guests to give gratuities to the trip leader, who divides them among the crew. Backroads says you can pay the full amount to any one of its leaders and it is divided among them.
- Bring cash, or ask what else works. OARS accepts cash or a personal check. Backroads accepts cash in U.S. dollars or euros, PayPal, and Venmo in the U.S. Ask before the trip so you are not stuck at a remote take-out.
- Check what is already included. Some operators include gratuities for everyone except the guides; others list a separate suggested amount. Read the trip paperwork.
For Guides: How to Handle Tips on a Multi-Day Trip
If you guide, tips can be a real part of your pay; see how much a tour guide makes for the numbers. How you handle them shapes both your income and your reviews.
- Do not ask. Wildland Trekking's guide FAQ says tipping is at the guest's discretion and "should not be solicited by guides." A guest who feels pressured on the last day remembers that more than the view.
- Put the guidance in writing before the trip. The operators above all do this: a line in the pre-trip packet saying tips are appreciated, not required, and what the typical range is. Guests then arrive with cash instead of feeling awkward at the trailhead.
- Agree on the split in advance. If you run trips with an assistant or cook, decide how tips are pooled before the season starts. OARS routes all tips through the trip leader to be shared among guides and support staff; Backroads divides them among all leaders on the trip.
- Offer a way to pay that works in the backcountry. No signal means no app payment on the spot, so tell guests in advance whether you take cash, check or a payment link after the trip.
- Keep records for taxes. The IRS treats tips as taxable income. Employees who receive $20 or more in cash tips in a month must report them to their employer by the 10th of the next month. A mandatory service charge is not a tip; the IRS treats it as wages.
Handling tips well is part of the wider craft covered in how to be a good tour guide. If you are still getting started, how to become a tour guide and outdoor guide jobs are good next reads.
Selling Multi-Day Trips Through ExplorOFF
If you run your own multi-day trips, ExplorOFF is one more place to sell them. It is free to join and there is no exclusivity, so you keep your own site, FareHarbor, TripAdvisor and TourRadar. You set your own per-person price and group size. ExplorOFF takes 15% plus standard card processing, and only on a booking it brought you.
You can claim a route from ExplorOFF's roughly 150 published day-by-day itineraries or list your own trip. A person checks your commercial liability insurance and land-use authorization (such as an NPS Commercial Use Authorization) once, and approval by a person can take up to 24 hours. List your tour here.
Sources: OARS one-day and multi-day river trip FAQs; San Juan Kayak Expeditions FAQ; Sea Kayak Adventures FAQ; Wildland Trekking prospective guide FAQ; Backroads help center; Rick Steves, Tipping in Europe; Japan National Tourism Organization, Tipping in Japan; IRS Topic 761, Tips.
How Much to Tip a Tour Guide: Rafting, Kayak, Backpacking, Europe and Japan FAQs
For guided outdoor trips in the U.S., outfitters suggest roughly 10 to 20% of the trip cost: OARS suggests 10 to 15%, San Juan Kayak Expeditions about 10% per person, and Wildland Trekking 10 to 20%. For a short group tour in Europe, Rick Steves suggests 2 to 5 euros per person.
San Juan Kayak Expeditions says the industry standard is approximately 10% per person of the trip cost. Other kayak outfitters, such as Sea Kayak Adventures, list a suggested amount in your reservation materials.
Usually not. The Japan National Tourism Organization says tipping is not common in Japan, but a private guide or interpreter used to overseas visitors may accept a tip. If you tip, use an envelope and hand it over discreetly.
At the end of the trip, in one amount. OARS asks guests to give it to the trip leader, who shares it among all guides and support staff, and Backroads says you can give the full amount to any one of its leaders.
No. Wildland Trekking tells its guides that tipping is at the guest's discretion and should not be solicited. The usual approach is a note in the pre-trip paperwork with a typical range.
Yes. The IRS treats tips as taxable income. Employees who receive $20 or more in cash tips in a month must report them to their employer by the 10th of the following month.
