Two of the things that were the most unusual about visiting Australia and New Zealand were the lack of tips and horns.
In these countries, the price you see in a cafe is the price including tax. Small tips are given some times for extraordinary service. This is quite different than Las Vegas where you can’t walk 10 feet without giving someone a tip. At first, I thought the lack of giving tips at the hotels "down under" and for the tour drivers would effect their attitude or performance of their jobs. (TIPS stands for TO INSURE PROMPT SERVICE) It did not. They gave great service even without tips. This was a little easier for cafe workers since they earn a livable wage (US$12/hour) unlike their American counterparts (US$2/hour). However, all the same, cafe staff were very eager to please the customer. Hotel bell people and bus drivers were shocked when I offered small tips. I can’t help but conclude that perhaps TIPS do not insure better service, but shift the cost of getting the service from the employer to the consumer.
I did not miss the lack of car horns. In 6 weeks, I only heard two horns and they were both in Sydney from taxi drivers (Some things are universal!). It seems that the folks "down under" are alot more patient than Americans like me. Or perhaps using "the horn" is just plain rude. Since I have been back in the US, I have tried to refrain from using the horn so much even though it is the "music" of a city like Chicago.
