>Tipping is a cultural thing True. In UK tipping is seen [in my view correctly] as a reward for good service. So, if a taxi driver or waiter / waitress is esp

>Tipping is a cultural thing True. In UK tipping is seen [in my view correctly] as a reward for good service. So, if a taxi driver or waiter / waitress is especially friendly & helpful, you might leave them a tip. In other countries, it's seen as almost obligatory. Personal example: Many moons ago, I was in charge of a large party of students who went to Budapest on an exchange visit. On our first night there, we found a quiet pub near our hostel and settled in for the night. There were only one or two other customers, so we were contributing to them having a really good night, with the kind of takings they'd probably only see on a weekend, usually. We weren't being overly loud or misbehaving, either. In spite of this, the bar manager and his staff were glaring at us and being really sullen, every time we ordered drinks. I thought it might be because they didn't like 'foreigners' but then one of the locals, who spoke English, told me "They think you're really rude because you're not giving them tips". He went on to explain and it did indeed transpire that the norm in Hungary [or Budapest, anyway] is to give a 10% tip on practically anything you buy, regardless of whether you're served with a smile, or have your food /booze / shopping / whatever slammed down in front of you with barely a glance. I actually found it quite annoying after a while. If you saw something at XXXX forints, you'd have to mentally add on 10% to the price each time, to work out what you were expected to pay for it. I just thought "If you want 3300 forints for it, then price it at 3300 forints, not 3000!"