THE AMERICAS
Latin America may be just south of the border, but tipping customs vary widely. "Whereas in the United States you'd leave 15 to 20 percent on a meal, in Latin America it's more like 8 to 12 percent outside of modern places in large capitals," says Clark Kotula of Geographic Expeditions, which organizes trips to the region. And while tipping is not as much a part of the culture in Latin America as in the United States, workers still appreciate tips, even if they don't expect them

ARGENTINA
At Restaurants: Ten percent to the waiter.
At Hotels: At least 10 pesos for a porter, and up to 20 for a particularly helpful one.
Guides and Drivers: Round up for taxi drivers; 10 percent for "remisses" (common local car services); 10 percent for a full-day driver, more for a really good one; 30–60 pesos for a full-day guide, a bit more for a great one.
Dollars Accepted?: Not recommended.
P.S. "Tipping is more expensive now than it used to be," says travel agent (and native Argentine) Vanessa Heitner of Limitless Argentina. "There were times when a 20-peso tip at the higher end meant a lot, but nowadays it isn't enough." Because of inflation, she notes, the proper amount is a moving target. Also, be sure to have plenty of change in your pocket for tipping—there's a serious shortage of it, and many shops and restaurants will refuse to break bills.

BRAZIL
At Restaurants: No tip required; 10 percent is routinely included in the bill for "servico."
At Hotels: Two dollars per bag for the porter; no tip expected for the concierge; $2 a day for the housekeeper.
Guides and Drivers: Round up for cabdrivers; for a private driver, give about $20–$50 for a full day, depending on the quality of the service; same for an all-day tour guide (they rely heavily on tips, so be generous).
Dollars Accepted?: Yes, and encouraged, due to a favorable exchange rate.
Who Else?: At ecoresorts in the Amazon, there are often boatmen in addition to tour guides. Tip them $10–$15 per day.
P.S. "Brazilians are discreet and subtle when it comes to business transactions," says travel agent Jill Siegel of South American Escapes. "It's helpful when tipping someone not to make a great display. You might verbally thank them, shake their hand, and express your appreciation while handing the bills folded."

CANADA
At Restaurants: As in the United States, the gratuity isn't included, so tip the standard 15 to 20 percent, depending on the service.
At Hotels: Concierges who go out of their way for you should get $10 to $20 per favor; porters get $1 or $2 per bag; housekeepers $2 a day, or $5 in a luxury hotel. "Leave something for them daily," advises Mary Pyle Peters of Distinctive Journeys in Blaisden, California, which organizes Canada trips. The person who cleaned your room all week may not be the same one who comes in the day you check out.
Guides and Drivers: Tip them collectively 15 percent of the cost of the excursion. Taxi drivers get 10 to 15 percent.
Dollars Accepted? Yes. "As long as you use paper money, not U.S. coins," says Peters.

CHILE
At Restaurants: A 10 percent tip is included in the bill; feel free to put down a few more bills amounting to another 5 percent. Nicer restaurants may also charge a 5 to 7 percent cubierto, basically a sit-down charge.
At Hotels: If you want extra-good service, consider tipping the concierge (if there is one) $20 up front. Porters get $1 per bag, doormen a few dollars if they hail you a cab, cleaning staff $2 a day (given at the end of your stay, preferably in person or marked for them in an envelope—otherwise they might not take it).
Guides and Drivers: Tip guides $10 to $25 per person per day, depending on how many people are in your group; $5 a day for drivers. With cabs, round up the fare.
Dollars Accepted? Yes, but they may be harder for the recipient to spend than the Chilean peso.
P.S. An organized camping trek to, say, Patagonia could involve extra staff such as a cook, who would be tipped roughly $5 per person per day.

COLOMBIA
At Restaurants: Check the bill to see if the tip is included. If it is, it's usually 8 to 10 percent, and it's still common to tip more, up to 15 to 18 percent total.
At Hotels: If you're staying in a small rural hacienda, a family staff usually cooks, cleans, and tends the gardens, so leave a pooled tip of $5 to $10 per person per night at the end of your stay. In standard hotels, the usual tipping rules apply: about $1 to doormen and cleaning staff per bag or daily cleanup.
Guides and Drivers: Tip $10 per person per day for guides and $5 per person per day for drivers. You don't need to tip taxi drivers unless they really go out of their way to help you.
Dollars Accepted? Yes, but they're harder for locals to use because the government has cracked down in recent years on money laundering, says Clark Kotula. Try to tip in Colombian pesos.
P.S. When you put your dinner on a credit or debit card, you'll be asked, "Cuantos quotas?"—meaning over how many months do you want your bill payment broken up, a feature that is unique to Colombia, says Kotula. Just say one.

COSTA RICA
At Restaurants: Tip is included in the bill; anything additional is a pleasant surprise.
At Hotels: Twenty-five to 50 cents per bag to the porter, $1 per bag at a fine hotel; leave $1 a day for the housekeeper.
Guides and Drivers: Tip cabbies a small amount if you have luggage; drivers get $2–$4 for a long drive, $1–$2 for a trip from the airport; tour guides should get $5–$10 per person per day.
Who Else?: On an organized tour involving several guides, there's usually a jar for tips to be divvied up among staff—leave $2–$3 for each person who's helped. On a boat, $5–$10 for the captain will be distributed among the crew.
P.S. At the Four Seasons, all tips are covered by a resort charge, so no need to add on. Costa Ricans generally get paid better than other Central American guides. "Rarely do you find them standing around with their hand out for a tip," says Leigh Ann Cloutier of Rico Tours.

ECUADOR
At Restaurants: A 10 percent tip is usually included in the bill, but feel free to leave an extra 5 to 10 percent in nicer restaurants.
At Hotels: Give porters about 50 cents a bag, doormen $1 to $2 if they hail you a taxi, and cleaning staff $1 a day at the end of your stay—either directly or left in an envelope at the front desk.
Guides and Drivers: Guides get about $10 per person per day, drivers half that. An Andes trek may include a cook, who gets $5 per person per day, and a burro driver, who gets about $2 to $3 per person per day.
Dollars Accepted? Yes, they are the currency of Ecuador.
P.S. Taxi drivers don't expect a tip but appreciate one of about 10 percent if they've been chatty or helpful. And many tourists in Ecuador go on Galápagos Islands boat excursions replete with naturalist guides, who get $50 to $75 per person, and kitchen staff, who get $80 to $100 per person, at the trip's end.

MEXICO
At Restaurants: Ten to 15 percent, cash preferred.
At Hotels: About 10–20 pesos per bag for the porter (you can leave it at check-in if you won't be there when your bags arrive); 20–50 pesos per night for the housekeeper; 50–150 pesos for the concierge.
Guides and Drivers: About 100–200 pesos per full day per person for tours, 200–300 pesos per day for combined driver-guide.
Who Else?: Gas station attendants should get 5 pesos per fill-up; use your judgment with parking attendants, doormen, and maître d's, depending on service.
Dollars Accepted?: Yes, but local currency is better (estimate 10 pesos to the dollar). "We must be sensitive to the fact that Mexico is not an extension of the U.S.," says Mexico specialist Adamarie King, of Connoisseur's Travel.
P.S. Tip discreetly, in an envelope if possible. If a craftsman gives a demonstration, it's better to buy a small piece of his work than to tip. Beware of boys wielding squeegees. "If you don't ward them off with a friendly shake of the head," says King, "you are giving tacit permission, and a small tip—5 pesos—is considered due."

NICARAGUA
At Restaurants: Leave an 8 to 10 percent tip.
At Hotels: Give porters about 50 cents a bag, doormen $1 to $2 if they hail you a taxi, and cleaning staff $1 a day at the end of your stay.
Guides and Drivers: Guides get $10 a day per person and drivers $5 a day per person.
Dollars Accepted? Yes, but with 20 Nicaraguan cordobas to the U.S. dollar, it can be hard for locals to convert small bills, so consider just exchanging dollars for cordobas at your trip's start. "Once, when I was backpacking, I bought a hot dog," recalls Kotula, "and calculated that I could've bought 600 hot dogs with the money I had in my pocket."
P.S. "Nicaragua is a pretty sleepy country with a really tough history," says Kotula, one that's "on a learning curve" when it comes to tourism. "So don't expect high service standards unless you're staying in chain hotels."

PERU
At Restaurants: Ten to 15 percent for the waiter.
At Hotels: One sol (50 cents) per bag for the porter, 4–10 soles per night for the housekeeper; tip the concierge only for special favors.
Guides and Drivers: Cabbies don't get tips, as the fare is usually negotiated; private drivers get 10–15 percent of the daily rate; guides, 20 soles per person per day.
P.S. Despite a heavy tourist influx to the Cuzco area, Peru is not a tipping culture (locals don't tip), but hawkers are a common sight, so give a little something if, say, you get your picture taken with a llama.

DON'T BE A JERK: TIPPING, CARIBBEAN-STYLE
In resorts throughout this necklace of islands, an all-inclusive service fee of 15 percent or more is a mainstay, the better to keep nagging tip calculations from cramping your blissed-out state. "I have yet to encounter a hotel in the Caribbean that doesnt charge a service fee," says Terry McCabe of Paramus, New Jersey's Altour travel agency. Now, that doesnt mean you shouldnt tip over and above the all-inclusive fee when the occasion calls for it—something that will largely be determined by the service you receive.

Says Becky Veith of Erie, Pennsylvania's Becky Veith Travel, "Both my clients and I have found service lacking in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico." You should also consider what you're paying. With these factors in mind, heres a guide to tipping across the Caribbean.

At Restaurants: If it's outside your resort package, check the bill to see if the gratuity is included. If not, tip 15 to 20 percent depending on the service. "I use the same tipping standards as at home," says McCabe. And she reminds naughtily, "If you give the bartender at your resort some money, there'll always be a drink waiting for you."

At Hotels: Assuming there is a service charge, you might still tip the concierge for special favors such as nailing down hard-to-get dinner reservations. "Money talks," says Veith. "Hand the concierge whatever you think those seats are worth, $20 or $25, and they'll get them for you." Tip bellboys a few dollars per bag and maids $20 for a week's work, especially if you get to know them.

Increasingly, you may end up with a butler at top resorts, regardless of whether you want or need him. On a recent trip to Turks and Caicos, says McCabe, "I left my butler $50. But another guest had to call him back because hed unpacked her things and she couldn't find where he'd put her bras."

Guides and Drivers: Most Caribbean tourists, when not vegetating on a beach, go off on bus tours and tip the guide a couple of dollars, but if you take a private tour, tip your guide about $25 and your driver about $10 for the day. Veith suggests another option: Ask a taxi driver what it will cost to take you here and there for a day, then tip 20 percent on top of that.

Dollars Accepted? Yes, except in the French Caribbean, which uses euros.

P.S. "If you charter a boat, they'll include the service charge, says McCabe, "but if the captain takes you to 47 different little coves and jumps overboard to show you a conch, you can tip more." For spa treatments, tip 15 to 20 percent, "although you can probably do 10 to 15 percent in Mexico and the Dominican Republic and still feel pretty good about it," says Veith.