Should you tip after eating out?
It's always a pain when you're on holiday and worrying about how much money you should leave your doting waiter or waitress despite the fact that they dropped the complimentary water all over your table or brought you the wrong order altogether.
However, if you don't tip, you know you can never go back to the restaurant again as they're probably poison you and leave you spending the rest of your holiday chained to your hotel rooms toilet.
So with the issue of 'tipping' hitting the news, Hotels.com research can reveal that nine out of ten of us get it wrong when it comes to tipping in hotels and restaurants.
96% of travellers questioned in the survey said they tipped too much when abroad because they didn't understand the local customs and as a result over half (52%) have been on the receiving end of insults because they did not tip enough.
A further 88% of Brits admitted to tipping someone even when they hadn't felt the service warranted it.
According to the research, Americans were the best tippers followed by guests from the middle-east, whilst Italians were exposed as the meanest, closely followed by Australians and New Zealanders.
The survey also revealed that the most generous single tip given to a London hotel concierge was £500 but generally tips over £100 were likely to be received just "once every few years".
Unusual tips received by London concierges included, A night out to a casino with the hotel guest, along with £2,000 gambling money. Four unworn concept dresses from a top American dress designer who could not be bothered to repack her suitcase.
Alison Couper from Hotels.com says, "Understanding the unwritten rules about when and how much to tip, in any given situation, can be frustrating in the UK let alone any further afield. If you are abroad and not sure what to do, our advice is to follow the local lead and you shouldn't go too far wrong."
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison