TIP FOR TOUR GUIDE??

[GWMinUS]

My friend from the Philippines will be visiting Bangkok next month.
He is very excited to make his first overseas trip.
I want us to go to Bang Pa-in and Ayutthaya on a day trip.
I have booked an independent Tour Guide and he will provide the car for the trip.
His fee is USD200 for two persons.
I felt this was a bit high but agreed since he is smart and speaks very good English.
NOW, the question is should I tip him and how much.
I can see tipping the car driver, but I am not sure about the Tour Guide, since this is his comapny.
Any thoughts??
Koop khun krub
George in the USA
:scratch:

[Neal]

Well you say he is providing the car and I assume that means the petrol also. If that is included, I am not sure if it is so unreasonable. For how many hours will this include and how nice a car?

[Jellybean]

Hi George

Using the Universal Currency Converter, US$200 works out as 5,991.01 Baht, i.e. roughly 2,995 Baht each. For taking you both to Ayutthaya and back to Bangkok and providing you with a personal tour guide service it seems about right to me. Presumably a group tour would work out cheaper.

I personally wouldnтАЩt want to walk away without paying the guide anything and, given that there are two of you, IтАЩd probably tip him 200 Baht. ThatтАЩs just me, others may have different opinions.

IтАЩve never been to Ayutthaya and have an Internet guy who wants me to visit him there. IтАЩd be interested in reading about your experience if you have the time to post a report.

Enjoy your tour!

[fedssocr]

I probably would not tip the guide in this situation. I might tip the driver though. Since the guide is working for himself in this case I don't think a tip is required. I typically will tip a tour guide that I have organized through a travel agency though. Presumably you will pay for lunch for all of you? I think something like that would be appropriate.

[ceejay]

Slightly disagree with the above in that I think US$200 is certainly towards the high end of the price range for this type of service. I've used an independent tour guide (licenced) with driver for a very similar trip for less than half that. Certainly it is enough - the guy is in business for himself and you've got an agreed price, so no need to tip him.
Yes, I do agree you could tip the driver. 200 to 300 baht is the range I would be in - but up to you. He won't actually be expecting a tip.

[nanette]

A few years ago, my friend & I did a one-day trip in a small car(Toyota Vios) with just a driver-cum-guide. He took us around Chiang Rai province - visiting Doi Tung & flower hills, the Golden Triangle near Chiang Saen with a quick boat ride across the Mekong river to a shopping spot on a Lao island, then visiting the famous ornate White Wat- from 8am & the tour ended around 6pm. When we stopped for lunch at a touristic restaurant, the driver was provided a meal in a separate section from tourists. The small tourist agency that provided us the car & driver charged us slightly less than 3000 baht (US100), inclusive of petrol. We tipped the driver 200 baht.

[ceejay]

A suggestion, if you are going to Bang Pa-In. Ask for that part of the trip to include a visit to Wat Nivet Thamaprawat. It's one of the more unusual Buddhist Wats in Thailand. It was built at the same time as Bang Pa-In palace, in what can best be described as a vaguely Gothic style. It has some of the looks of a Christian Cathedral - stained glass and all. I'll just post one picture:
[attachment=0:2somgh1a]DSCF2050.jpg[/attachment:2somgh1a]
It's on an island in the Chayo Praya. The structure in the foreground is the terminus of a cable car across the river. To get to the Wat, go to the right hand corner at the back of the Ban Pa-In car park. There's an exit to the other end of the cable car line there. Just sit in the car for a bit and one of the monks will operate it and take you across.

[lukylok]

Asking the same sort of questions some years ago, I was answered by a very knowledlegeable travel operator :
"Never forget that if the guide is near you and sympathetic, the driver has your life in his hands".
Since then I always tip driver and guide the same, and never penny-pinching.

[GWMinUS]

Thanks to all for their advice.
I think 200B each to the driver and the guide is OK.
But I agree, I thought the USD200 was at the top, but it include the car and petrol.

Several years ago I made the same trip with a tour agency.
It was not very pleasant. There where 4 of us.
Me, my Thai friend and his two young sons.
And then we picked up a Canadian man and woman far across town.
Finally got on the Highway out of BKK and STOPPED!!
Hugh traffic jam on a Sunday. I think every one in BKK heads out on the weekend.

The visit to Bang Pa-in was enjoyable.
And visiting the temples in Ayuttaya was a treat for me as an architect.
We had a very nice lunch by the river.
BUT on the trip back they took us to one of those Gold and Diamond places.
By then the boys where tired and so was I. I finally told the tour guide, enough, take us to the hotel.
ANYWAY, back at Tartawan I bought the boys and their Dad ice cream. They loved it!!!
I will post about my trip and some photos in March when I return to the USA.
:sharm:

[pong]

its been done, so this is too late, but just to get the figures for someone next:
renting a car+''petrol==most likely much cheaper gas, is about 800/1000 bt/day (the usual Toyota)
A tourguide wages for a day should be around 1000/1200, nothing else is in fact bought, as far as I see it
IF he still has that ''courage'' to lead you into overpriced tourist dumpstuff, than for me no tip would be needed.
Re ''touragency'' advice quited above: does he also tip any citybusdriver?