F.A.Q.

Please ask us about passport and visa requirements to the countries to which you will travel. It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have all the correct documents prior to travel. Fast lane Luxury Travel, an Affiliate of Travel Leaders Network, does not assume responsibility for missing, expired or incorrect travel documents.

Please email a copy of your passport page to us for our file and safe keeping during your travels.

For Visa and Passport assistance, we suggest CIBT.
US Citizens
Canadian Citizens

For country information and visa and passport requirements, please consult Department of State– travel.state.gov

Fast Lane Luxury Travel, an Affiliate of Travel Leaders Network, highly recommends purchasing travel insurance to safeguard your investment. Ensuring the protection of your trip provides invaluable peace of mind. Travel insurance offers coverage in various scenarios, such as medical emergencies or a family member’s unfortunate passing before or during your travels, necessitating trip cancellation or delay. It also addresses concerns like baggage mishaps, medical assistance, or evacuation needs. Given that many pre-paid arrangements are non-refundable under any circumstance, securing travel insurance becomes even more crucial.

Feel free to inquire with us if you’re interested in receiving a quotation for travel and cancellation insurance.

We do not work with consumer rental web sites such as VRBO or AirBNB and only use accredited local brokers who visit and maintain their villas to vet and preserve quality control.

TIPPING GUIDELINES AROUND THE WORLD

Vacationers can find it difficult to know what to tip abroad, as it varies from place to place. Also tipping varies from country to country, and knowing how much to budget before a vacation can be tricky.

France: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (€1-1.50), hotel porter per bag (€0.50-1.00) per bag, taxi (10 percent).

Spain: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (€2-5), hotel porter per bag (€1-2), taxi (10 percent.)

United States: Restaurant (10-25 percent), hotel maid per night ($2-$3), hotel porter per bag ($1-$2), tax (10-15 percent).

China: No tip for restaurant, hotel maid, hotel porter or taxi.

Italy: Restaurant (no tip); hotel maid per night (€0.75-1.50); hotel porter per bag (up to €5), taxi (10 percent)

Turkey: Restaurant (5-10 percent), hotel maid per night (5-10 lira), hotel porter per bag (4-5 lira), taxi (round up).

Mexico: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (20-50 pesos), hotel porter per bag (10-20 pesos), tax (no tip).

Thailand: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (20-50 baht), hotel porter per bag (20-50 baht), taxi (no tip).

Germany: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (€3-5), hotel porter per bag (€1-3), taxi (round up).

United Kingdom: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (£1-2), hotel porter per bag (£1-2), taxi (round up).

Japan: No tip for restaurant, hotel maid, hotel porter or taxi.

Austria: Restaurant (10 percent), hotel maid per night (€1-2), hotel porter per bag (€1-2), taxi (10 percent).

Greece: Restaurant (5-10 percent), hotel maid per night (€1), hotel porter per bag (€1), taxi (5-10 percent).

Malaysia: Restaurant (no tip), hotel maid per night (2-10 RM) hotel porter per bag (2-10 RM), taxi (no tip).

Portugal: Restaurant (no tip), hotel maid per night (€1-2), hotel porter per bag €1-2), taxi  (no tip).

 

Tipping isn’t as customary in Asia as in other parts of the world, and in some countries, it can be taken as an insult. It’s not customary to tip hotel porters in China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia or the Philippines, but you can expect to pay around $1 per bag for most places. There’s even less obligation to tip taxi drivers.

Across Peru, Argentina and Brazil, a 10 percent tip for restaurants is standard, and if you’re in a taxi, at most you’ll only need to round the fare up. For hotel porters and maids, pay around 3 soles in Peru per bag, 1-3 pesos in Argentina, and R$5-R$6 in Brazil.

Across Africa, a 10 percent tip for restaurants is standard in Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia, but this can increase to up to 15 percent in South Africa and Morocco. South Africa is the only country where it’s common to tip taxi drivers, at around 10 percent. You only need to round up the fair in Tunisia and Morocco, and it’s not expected at all in Egypt and Kenya.

Unlike the other continents on the list, there’s no obligation to tip in Australia or New Zealand—whether for waiters, taxi drivers, hotel porters or hotel maids. Of course, if you feel you’ve had excellent service, you can put down a few dollars, but there’s no expectation.

So, now you know roughly how much you should tip across the world, here are some top tips so that you can be the savviest tipper overseas:

Always carry cash: While it’s super easy to pay by card everywhere you go in Europe, in some countries, cash is king—and even if it’s not, you can’t tip hotel porters and maids without it. So, it’s always worth changing some currency before you travel to ensure you tip fairly while abroad.

Do your research beforehand: In some countries, it’s not just in restaurants, hotels, and taxis that you’ll be expected to tip. For example, in the U.S., if you want to get served again in a bar, always leave a dollar or two once you’ve been served your first drink. You might also want to tip in a coffee shop, although despite there usually being a tip jar at the counter in the U.S., there’s no obligation to tip.

Remember that tipping can be seen as an insult: While you usually tip to show your appreciation for the good service you’ve received, remember that it’s not always perceived that way across the world. In certain countries in Asia tipping can be seen as insulting, so don’t automatically reach for the cash once you’ve eaten your meal, or been dropped off at your destination, unless you know it’s going to be appreciated.

We arrange custom international trips and offer comprehensive travel planning services. Our air desk is a prominent provider of First & Business Class international tickets. We charge a processing fee of $175 per ticket to maintain the high standard of service we provide.

We ensure the best experience for our clients; our 24/7 emergency support desk is expertly serviced by in-house air specialists. Travel with ease as we have you covered in all locations, at all times.