I tip a little more than most people who tour, simply because of my poor sense of balance. I've rarely tipped over, however. Neil Fein can attest to it.

This threads question is a sad commentary on the OP.

Anywhere you would normally tip in normal day to day life, you tip while on tour. Many service workers depend on tips as a major part of their income. Personally if I was a waiter and you didn't tip I would certainly say something out loud and embarass you. There really is no excuse not to tip. It should be considered as part of the price of what you are buying. Coffee, yes. Grocery bagger, yes if there is a tip jar, then it is expected. Restaurants or diners, in the US, always.

Yes it is. I guess it is not in the UK though and I made the mistake when I first moved there to always tip and never understood why I kept getting strange looks for weeks until I realized its not customary to tip there.

I would fire you if you worked for me and did that.

This whole thread reminds me of a conversation from the movie Reservoir Dogs which is way to laced with profanity to post here. Personally I tip because I believe in karma.

And I should be taller.

The organized tour I went on even offered an on tour mechanic. He even changed flats at a really reasonable charge. We sure did then.

Then why isn't it included in the price?

+1

"Then why isn't it included in the price? "

In some restaurants it is automatically added to the bill, though it is rare where I live.

The reason is that the service provider has a split loyalty. Everything from how time is alloted to various people and tasks, to whether they promote specials that are in the establishment's interest but perhaps not yours. Tips even that out, so that you are paying for the service directly and can influence the server so that you get good service.

So, you have to pay a bribe to get good service!

You know, the more I think about the tipping system in the United States, the less sense it makes to me. Thanks to the OP for bringing this up.