Due to the constantly changing exchange rate for the value of the Egyptian Pound, this video is outdated. For an updated look at tipping in Egypt, be sure to check out my new blog post. I also plan on redoing this video in the future to talk about tipping now that the Egyptian Pound is in flux. BLOG POST: www.egyptadventurestravel.com/blog/whom-and-how-much-to-tip-in-egypt
You have touched on a very interesting subject. I've been to Egypt 3 times, I've also been to more poorer countries ( Laos, Zimbabwe, Burma, Nigeria )and nowhere did anyone demand a tip like in Egypt. Nowhere have I been/am I being jerked around or solicited like in Egypt. It was western civilization that got them used to it - driver said 20$ and received 30$, waiter said 40$ and received 50$ because they are poor- If they tell us a price it means it costs that much! - now they demand from everyone considering it part of their culture. Arabs themselves don't do it as often - if at all. Explaining that they don't earn enough is childish - most people in the world think they earn not enough (in proportion to the country they live in). There are people who of course need to be tipped extra, but please don't say that this should be done for everyone because many don't deserve it. The problems with drivers in Egypt ended when I started using Uber App - seriously. I'd make an agreement with a driver for 300 pounds and at the end of the ride he'd charge me 550 and instead of having a nice time I'd have to look for the tourist police. In a restaurant I get a menu, the cost of the food is 200 pounds and the bill is 400 - every step person has to be careful how much they pay, for what and also what change they give out because they cheat too. So maybe instead of pitying them so much they should learn how to respect tourists. Egypt is a beautiful country and I wish all of You a great holiday.
I don't have a problem paying a bit more then the locals, for the same service, given the economy. I also don't mind giving small tips and generous ones (when the person really deserves it), but I have a really hard time having any kind of empathy for people who try to scam me. Scamming should never be tolerated or excused.
Experiencing this right now. It is making the vacation here horrid. It’s a disgusting display of greed and dishonesty, especially coming from the UAE. This will be the last time I ever step foot in Egypt.
Dont be cheap with the tips but also try to not overtip in developing countries. Egypt as a country can never reach its potential as long as a toilet cleaner makes much more than a police man. I only tip if someone shows effort. I would never give someone tip for just holding a door.
Gus, I have been all over the world and have never found a place which was so expectant of tipping the way the Egyptians are. It can't be based on poverty either being Myanmar ad Laos are much poorer than Egypt. I always wondered how the Egyptian society evolved in a way that tipping almost everyone a tourist encounters happened. You have any clues to why Gus? Just curious.
I don’t know how this started, but now Egyptians who work in the tourism industry rely on tips (like a server working in an average, sit-down restaurant in the USA relies on tips). They are not paid enough by the companies they work for in order to get by. It may be in part due to tour companies in Egypt realizing that they do not need to pay guides/drivers as much if they receive tips? I am not sure. It is one reason why I build tipping into all of my guided tours that I lead on my own-I want to take VERY good care of all of my people, but I don’t want any guests to need to worry about tipping.
Tipping is just part of the Egyptian culture. When you're on a night out with friends, business partners, whatever, and you're paying you usually add a hefty tip. In Egypt if you have money, or at least are pretending to have money, you show off. That's sort of expected from you and you also do it to confirm your status. And, obviously, you do it in front of everyone. This might have to do something with islamic Zaqat, but I'm not sure. Now to the Travel&Tourism industry. Just like all the other North African countries Egypt has one particular problem. Lots of well-educated people -remember, this country has over 100 mio inhabitants, and not enough jobs.Plus most of the jobs in that industry are only seasonal and located hundreds of kilometers away from the major cities. Again, like 90% of all Egyptians live in the Nile Delta while most hotels are on the Sinai Peninsula or on the Red Sea Coast (Egyptians do also go to places like Dahab but the lower middle class usually can afford only the Mediterranean. Jobs there are usually seasonal. Companies obviously take advantage of that and offer them as little money as possible. Plus, after the season, these people usually have no income, so they have to live off what they got extra as tips.
So true, as a country that depends on tourism this is the only place on earth that people feel entiltled for tips. I was on a small hotel for couple of nights and a housekeeper pick up my room trash and I gave her $5 . She look at the money on her way out and shout, sir do you know how much money you gave me? I though she appreciate it but no she told me that is not enough. I traveled all over the world, rich or poor country but this is the worst place for tipping. Will not coming back.
Hey great video. My son and I are traveling to Egypt in May. My credit card does not charge to use in Egypt but my debit card to use at an ATM does. I’m looking to bring cash into the country. My question is how many Egyptian pounds and US dollar can I bring through the airport? I’m nervous about using the ATM over there. Thanks so much!
@@EgyptAdventuresTravel that’s for the reply. I booked my trip to Egypt a few days ago. Because of the war in Israel, my wife is scared to let my son and I go. What are your thoughts on everything and safety? Thank you!
@@AvaRose00 I still feel totally safe, but this is a developing situation, so things may change. You should follow what the state department and the US embassy (or your country’s embassy) say and make your own informed decision about whether or not travel to Egypt is right for you 👍🏼.
You can treat it just like a normal hotel-tip porterage, and leave some money on your pillow for cleaning staff, and any services you get (massage at the spa, snorkeling excursion) you can tip as well. No need to tip at the breakfast buffet, unless specifically asked by the resort.
This video made me laugh because, of all the countries I’ve ever travelled to, the one where I was treated the worst for tipping 20% - not the expected 25%, was in the US. Where I come from you only tip for good service *after* you’ve received exceptional service… Not in anticipation of, which in my experience never worked. I routinely was expected (forced) to tip 20 bucks for a regular meal, only to have the worst experience & service, I’ve ever had in my life. The other thing I noticed is that Americans, when they tip overseas, it’s basically loose change. Never like they would tip in their own country, where service people actually do have more money.
Did you have better service in Egypt? I find that a lot of the time, the service in Egypt is much friendlier than I get in other places I travel (or in the USA where I live).
I just got back a month ago. And we tipped mostly in US dollars. They love dollars but they must be nice. Not torn or written on because they can not exchange it. We tipped all of our guides very well. They took so much time with us. We were the only ones on our tour so we got a lot of attention. Our driver we tipped st least 20 a day or more depending on the traffic in Cairo, if the traffic was unusually crazy, as it always is it could go higher
Thank you for the information - I am going to Egypt in Nov '22, with Gate1 from JFK, a 15 day tour with a tour guide. I am watching your video again bc it got a little confusing with the different currency calculations for the tipping - living in the NYC metro the standard we currently tip 25% - I plan on getting new US bills bf we leave to use for tips - I was planning on $100 in one dollar bills and at least $100 in five dollar bills for the small daily tips - totally separate from the tour guide & driver tips. I have read that ATM's are easy to locate in Egypt - so we should be fine if we need more cash. Thank you again for all of the informative video's - sad I didn't find your site until after I booked because you are a wealth of knowledge!
I'm glad you found them useful! Have a wonderful trip. Feel free to tell your family and friends about my business, so they can reach out if they would like to book a trip!
Do not tip $1 bills. They cannot exchange them. Egyptians typically go to an ATM to exchange currency and the lowest denomination that is accepted is $5 and some places $10. So what happens is they collect the dollars and then they need to find, in this case, an American, to exchange those dollar bills. Happened to us this June 2023 down in Luxor. And there is no problem whatsoever getting smaller bills. Go get a water in a store and give a 100EGP note, you’ll get plenty of smaller notes this way.
I’ve just come back from Egypt. People were delighted to have any money from any country. The currency is really crashing. They are happy with dollars euros dinars yen they truly are they’ll take anything and I noticed many museums will not even except the Egyptian pound they only want you to pay with a credit card or foreign currency.
That’s interesting that museums would not accept the Egyptian Pound? I’ve never heard of that happening before. But yes, in the current economic state, foreign currency seems to be preferred more and more!
We are planning on coming as a large family (3 adults and 9 kids). What would tipping look like? Is it your recommended but times 12? That adds up a lot for us
I would recommend tipping your: Tour guides between $25-$40 per day total for all of you Drivers between $15-$30 per day total for all of you Representatives between $20-$30 per day total for all of you I will be updating my blog post on tipping at some point within the next couple weeks, because now I recommend keeping tipping amounts in USD, since the Egyptian Pound's value has been fluctuating so much on the black market and currency exchange offices.
Yes, this is a very good point--I will be updating my RU-vid video and my blog post on tipping to reflect the change in exchange rates, and I think from now on, I will recommend the tipping amounts in USD$, which travelers can then either pay in USD$, or can convert using the current exchange rate.
@@EgyptAdventuresTravel smart. Your video was awesome btw. Very informative. Any experience going to Middle Egypt? Just liquidated my Robinhood account to pay for a trip out there to see Petosiris' Tomb and check out the New Hermopolis project. So excited to finally go.
Hi I have chosen your 1st itinerary for 7days. We 3 person (family). With cruise. Please suggest me per day how much I can pay as tips for all 3 person in EGP. Please 🙏
Hello Gus, I was looking for tour guide in Cario. I got quoted 50.00 USD per person for one day tour for the pyramids. Please advise if this is adequate or overpriced? Based on your blog and your video, sounds like this quote is too much. Drop me a line and lets connect. Thanks
Hi William, feel free to send me an email at gus@egyptadventurestravel.com and I would be happy to set up a consultation to answer your questions. Thanks!
I just got back from Egypt and the tipping is ridiculous. I was at one of those small markets in Gizza and I was getting a few bottles of water out of the cooler. As soon as I grabbed the 3 bottles of water I wanted a man appeared behind me asking me to give him the bottles of water. I didn’t know who he was so I allowed him to take the bottles out of my arms. The man then took three steps from where I was to the cash register and placed the bottles on the counter so the clerk could ring up my sale. The man then demanded a tip from me. I was like what? Lol They will walk up to you and take your scarf off your head then they will put it back on your head and then demand a tip. Again, it’s ridiculous. But as long as you really want to see Egypt, it’s really not that big of a deal. I tipped my driver just fine but for all the people just coming up to you and demanding a tip for some stupid reason, I kept small notes on me to give them.
I’m sorry that was your experience! When I have travelers with me, I never let those type of situations happen, or when they do, I explain in Arabic that we will not be tipping. But the strategy you shared of just giving the person a very small amount of money to make them go away is another one that will work well. I hope you still had a great time!
Excellent content, I wish I’d watched your video earlier. I am currently in Cairo and I’d tipped a meet and greet person £1 coin to arrange a taxi transfer at the airport because I didn’t have any small notes. At least I know what is expected of me next when I am in similar situations.
Hi Gus, I am traveling solo in Cairo but I have booked three 6 hour tours with Viator over a three day period to see Cairo. My question: as a solo traveler on a private tour, how much should I tip both the tour guide and the driver? Should the overall amount be the same as if I was traveling with a friend? Thanks for any suggestions. And my apologies for not booking with you - I only saw your website yesterday.
Depends-if you have one server with you for the duration of the day, I would do at the end of the day, otherwise, I would tip something small, like 20 Egyptian pounds, per drink. Other resorts might include tips, so you will want to ask at your specific property.
It used to be better, but now, lots of Egyptians prefer being tipped in USD, Euros, or GBP. Just avoid using $1 bills, and never use coins. These are unable to be exchanged at exchange offices.
I usually bring dollars as well as local because i cant keep up with the devaluation of the Egyptian pound. I think it has just dropped 30% last month alone
Yes, this video is due for an update. I now recommend tipping in USD as much as possible instead of local currency. I’ve kept the blog post updated, and a video update will be out sometime in the next couple months. Thanks for commenting!
Hi, welcome! Egypt has no gay bars or clubs, sorry! It is not ok to be out and openly LGBTQ+ in Egypt. For more information on how to travel safely as an gay person, check out my video on the topic. Have a great trip!
This video is outdated in its recommendations since the currency has now lost some of its value, so you should use the blog post in the video description as your guide.
Significantly less than the USA, but because of inflation, most things are double, triple, or even higher than what they used to cost, and salaries have largely stayed the same or increased just a small amount. Plus, cars, computers, phones, electronics, and anything that is imported (makeup, clothing, the list goes on and on) still costs what it costs in the USA, so a lower cost of living does little to help you afford a car when you make around $100-200 USD monthly.
I would either tip each day, or do a big tip at the end. You can also always ask the crew-how do you like to be tipped? Each day, or at the conclusion of the trip?
Yep I agree with you. When I was there I didn’t hesitate giving a dollar or 2 or 5 (depending on the service) in tip even though the tour guide said we didn’t have to tip that much because I knew they make so little.
My god! I am currently in Egypt and I hate the tipping culture in Egypt. It’s never enough and they are extreme aggressive. I can’t save this country! The min tip they always want is 100/200 pound (2/4 euro) Even the guards in Luxor wants min 200 pound tip instead of the 20 you mentioned. The funny thing is… a second guards joins in and also want the tip as well. There is no genuine help in that country. They just want money. The tour guides are not cheap at all and should it be our problem that the workers don’t get a fair salary or don’t get paid at all? The standard food is cheap and the tip should reflect that! We have been in so many other countries (poorer) where they don’t behave like this people in Egypt. I am sorry to say this. The lost civilized culture is indeed lost. They are just animals. I mean you can be poor, but please don’t lose your dignity.
I’m sorry you’re having this experience. This is one of the reasons I handle all of the tipping with my tour groups, so none of my guests have to ever worry about tips. I hope you’re able to enjoy your time otherwise. Safe travels!
