Tipping and Donations

[Kryptonite]

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but the 3 dog-thrus, 2 solo, 10's of 1000's of miles on the trail, will never hurt me... ur mom said "hi"...

If that is your true philosophy and you actually believe in stiffing hostels, not tipping and being a tightwad at the expense of others, no wonder we are all dodging so much sh** you've dumped on the trail...

[Sly]

Dang... Can't edit. I forgot the "p" in Kryptonite. My apologies!

You also forgot to tip. If you tipped the website owner, you'd have editing privileges.

PS regarding not tipping owners, the website owner doesn't receive any compensation from you being a customer.

[yellowsirocco]

On the hiker side of things: Hikers are just people on vacation. Hikers are not entitled to anything, they shouldn't be treated as charity cases. If you don't have the money to pay the bills then go home.

On the service provider side of things: Most of the trail businesses that use the tipping/donating scheme are doing it to get out of paying taxes or having the proper licenses or insurance. If they are doing that then they should expect to get screwed.

I really hate the concept of tips especially on the trail. Trail life is simple: I need food, water, and shelter. Don't complicate that purity with some game about what stuff actually costs. For me on the trail I tip at restaurants like normal, but if there is not a posted price for a service they will probably be disappointed. I have no problems paying when things are up front and simple.

[DavidNH]

On my thru hike I never tipped. but I was always polite and left my place/room clean. If it costs x dollars to keep an establishment going, then they should charge x dollars and that should show on the bill. I refuse to accept that a 10 dollar bill magically transforms into a 20 $ or what ever fee. The bill is the bill. If a given establishment thinks they should be paid extra just for doing their job-- which is to provide food and/or lodging, then they should consider going into another business.

That said.. if some shmuck stinks up the place with ciggarettes and the stench of alcohol and leaves litter everywhere or doesn't clean up after them selves.. than they deserve to get stuck with an extra fee.

[Rasty]

Water Rat great answer. Toli your wrong as usual.

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but the 3 dog-thrus, 2 solo, 10's of 1000's of miles on the trail, will never hurt me... ur mom said "hi"...

Even my mom thinks your wrong. In 10000 miles you've yet to learn much and always go straight for an unnecessary personal attack, but I'm the troll.

[Sly]

In case anyone is interested (and a few here should be) here's a website with some "simple" tipping guidelines.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/20...h-and-to-whom/

[Toli]

You also forgot to tip. If you tipped the website owner, you'd have editing privileges.

PS regarding not tipping owners (aka being a cheapskate), the website owner doesn't receive any compensation from you being a customer.

OH SNAP BYTCHES... Thats what I'm sayin"... ...

[Toli]

Even my mom thinks your wrong. In 10000 miles you've yet to learn much and always go straight for an unnecessary personal attack, but I'm the troll.

Thats what you get for leaving ur account open... ur mom replys... Maybe someday you'll get as many replies as me and my hound have miles... That would elevate you to LW status... EPIC!!!

[Rasty]

Thats what you get for leaving ur account open... ur mom replys... Maybe someday you'll get as many replies as me and my hound have miles... That would elevate you to LW status... EPIC!!!

You continue to prove the point that your incapable of not attacking others. If you hate Whiteblaze as much as you continue to state then go somewhere else. Your having more miles means nothing to me. I've been backpacking my whole life so I'm not in awe of your greatness.

[Toli]

On the hiker side of things: Hikers are just people on vacation. Hikers are not entitled to anything, they shouldn't be treated as charity cases. If you don't have the money to pay the bills then go home.

On the service provider side of things: Most of the trail businesses that use the tipping/donating scheme are doing it to get out of paying taxes or having the proper licenses or insurance. If they are doing that then they should expect to get screwed.

I really hate the concept of tips especially on the trail. Trail life is simple: I need food, water, and shelter. Don't complicate that purity with some game about what stuff actually costs. For me on the trail I tip at restaurants like normal, but if there is not a posted price for a service they will probably be disappointed. I have no problems paying when things are up front and simple.

Tru dat... Why is that sooo hard to figure out??? My bad ... Internet hikers...

[Water Rat]

OH SNAP BYTCHES... Thats what I'm sayin"... ...

You haven't said anything to back YOUR point. The only thing you have done is name call and act like you are right and everyone else is wrong.

[Toli]

You continue to prove the point that your incapable of not attacking others. If you hate Whiteblaze as much as you continue to state then go somewhere else. Your having more miles means nothing to me. I've been backpacking my whole life so I'm not in awe of your greatness.

I guess ur mom is still stickin' up for you!!! More power to you... Tell ur son I Don't hate WB Mz. Rastrakis... Even met some cool budz on here... Since I've NEVER used a hostel, it would seem I have know no idea what I'm saying... Alas,I know better... you want a "donation" so you can avoid paying taxes... Who is really getting screwed??? On a funnier note, not you??? lol...

[Water Rat]

Tru dat... Why is that sooo hard to figure out??? My bad ... Internet hikers...

Well... You seem to still be here. That lumps you in the same boat as being an "internet hiker."

[kayak karl]

On the service provider side of things: Most of the trail businesses that use the tipping/donating scheme are doing it to get out of paying taxes or having the proper licenses or insurance. If they are doing that then they should expect to get screwed.

and You make sure that loophole is taken care of.
most AT business owner are people that love the trail and want to help hikers (they are by far entrepreneurs ). they try to keep the price low and your right, their good heart gets them screwed over and over again. most, eventually close down. i think in the near future you will be seeing more $35+ per night places. without the low priced competition they will charge the hikers big bucks. in other words "equivalent retaliation".

[Another Kevin]

On the hiker side of things: Hikers are just people on vacation. Hikers are not entitled to anything, they shouldn't be treated as charity cases. If you don't have the money to pay the bills then go home.

On the service provider side of things: Most of the trail businesses that use the tipping/donating scheme are doing it to get out of paying taxes or having the proper licenses or insurance. If they are doing that then they should expect to get screwed.

Wow, that's a cynical view of things. There are a lot of localities that set up the taxing, licensing, and insurance regimen with the intent of forcing businesses that cater to hikers out of business. (Hikers are vagrants - we don't want them stinking up our town!) Recasting a hostel as a charity helps to make it more acceptable politically - closing a trail hostel can be "cleaning up the town", but closing the equivalent of a homeless shelter can still come across as "heartless". In any case, I've never met a hostel-keeper who's getting rich off it.

But I'm not going to change the people who think that cynically. About the best I can do is to, when I'm in a "donations accepted" establishment, pay for myself and for the last guy who stiffed them. Which is fine with me - even when I do that, hiking is still a cheap vacation compared with other ways to travel. (Similarly, if you give me a ride and won't take gas money, make sure you check your seat cushions after you let me out.)

Maybe this shows that I'm just a clueless weekender, and don't have the assertiveness to be a Real Hiker. If you're a Real Hiker, do whatever it is you do. I'm just saying how I roll. What goes around comes around, and as it goes it grows.

[TD55]

Ain't it funny how these no tip cheapskates never sit down at a restaurant and tell the waiter/waitress, "Hey, I am not going to leave you a decent tip, maybe not going to leave you any tip". No, they enjoy the service knowing full well that their drinks will be refilled, they can request extra's and be treated like normal paying customers when in fact they are playing the server on trust and have every intention of shafting them out of the tip. Thieves, cowards and punks. Ain't man enough to stand up for what they are. Cheat some hard working old woman or working mom out of her pay and brag about it.

[Toli]

You haven't said anything to back YOUR point. The only thing you have done is name call and act like you are right and everyone else is wrong.

I'm so misunderstood ... I see you have a female avitar, my bad... BYTCHES did not apply to you ... It was just slang for a mad diss by SLY... You took it out of context... Hostels that work on "donations" do so to avoid paying taxes was what I was replying to... Its not just Hostel's either, to be fair...

[Water Rat]

Wow, that's a cynical view of things. There are a lot of localities that set up the taxing, licensing, and insurance regimen with the intent of forcing businesses that cater to hikers out of business. (Hikers are vagrants - we don't want them stinking up our town!) Recasting a hostel as a charity helps to make it more acceptable politically - closing a trail hostel can be "cleaning up the town", but closing the equivalent of a homeless shelter can still come across as "heartless". In any case, I've never met a hostel-keeper who's getting rich off it.

But I'm not going to change the people who think that cynically. About the best I can do is to, when I'm in a "donations accepted" establishment, pay for myself and for the last guy who stiffed them. Which is fine with me - even when I do that, hiking is still a cheap vacation compared with other ways to travel. (Similarly, if you give me a ride and won't take gas money, make sure you check your seat cushions after you let me out.)

Maybe this shows that I'm just a clueless weekender, and don't have the assertiveness to be a Real Hiker. If you're a Real Hiker, do whatever it is you do. I'm just saying how I roll. What goes around comes around, and as it goes it grows.

Wow, that's a cynical view of things. There are a lot of localities that set up the taxing, licensing, and insurance regimen with the intent of forcing businesses that cater to hikers out of business. (Hikers are vagrants - we don't want them stinking up our town!) Recasting a hostel as a charity helps to make it more acceptable politically - closing a trail hostel can be "cleaning up the town", but closing the equivalent of a homeless shelter can still come across as "heartless". In any case, I've never met a hostel-keeper who's getting rich off it.

But I'm not going to change the people who think that cynically. About the best I can do is to, when I'm in a "donations accepted" establishment, pay for myself and for the last guy who stiffed them. Which is fine with me - even when I do that, hiking is still a cheap vacation compared with other ways to travel. (Similarly, if you give me a ride and won't take gas money, make sure you check your seat cushions after you let me out.)

Maybe this shows that I'm just a clueless weekender, and don't have the assertiveness to be a Real Hiker. If you're a Real Hiker, do whatever it is you do. I'm just saying how I roll. What goes around comes around, and as it goes it grows.

Another Kevin - I don't think there is anything clueless about ya! You are right - What goes around, comes around. And, hiking definitely is cheap compared to a lot of other vacations!

[Rasty]

Ain't it funny how these no tip cheapskates never sit down at a restaurant and tell the waiter/waitress, "Hey, I am not going to leave you a decent tip, maybe not going to leave you any tip". No, they enjoy the service knowing full well that their drinks will be refilled, they can request extra's and be treated like normal paying customers when in fact they are playing the server on trust and have every intention of shafting them out of the tip. Thieves, cowards and punks. Ain't man enough to stand up for what they are. Cheat some hard working old woman or working mom out of her pay and brag about it.

The same people bring up that the owner should pay the full wage of the servers, which is what most European restaurants do. They fail to take into account that the same meal is 20-25% more in Europe than in the US. Most restaurant servers are paid a base wage of 50% of the minimum wage and tips are the majority of their wages. The next assumption is that servers don't pay taxes on tips which is wrong again. They have to declare a % of the tips and pay taxes on them. Servers are also auditted more often then most other tax payers.

[Nutbrown]

If a given establishment thinks they should be paid extra just for doing their job-- which is to provide food and/or lodging, then they should consider going into another business.
You are embarassing. Wait staff are paid under $3/hour. Tips are taxed and are expected as part of their pay.

That said.. if some shmuck stinks up the place with ciggarettes and the stench of alcohol and leaves litter everywhere or doesn't clean up after them selves.. than they deserve to get stuck with an extra fee.

What about the stench that we hikers leave behind? Did you think you smelled like roses?