I don't care what anyone says, tipping when you travel is confusing.
You know what you're supposed to do at home in most cases. When you're on the road, the rules vary country by country around the world. We're not going to give you guidelines here... we're just going to give you things to think about... dare we say tips to think about?
In the U.S., the gratuity is generally fifteen to twenty percent of the bill. Remember that in the U.S., tax is added on to the price of the meal, so generally, you figure that gratuity on the price of the food and drinks only... not on the total bill with the taxes included.
There are a few U.S. restaurants that have started adding service charges to the bill. Some do this only for groups of six or eight or more, but a few are adding a service charge to all bills. You want to be aware of this... if you pay that gratuity twice, your server will be very happy, and you'll be upset once you get home and realize what you've done!
In much of Europe, a service charge is added to the bill. With more and more countries joining the European Union, this practice varies a little more than it used to. Some restaurants add the service charge and some don't, so you have to check the bottom of the menu for each restaurant. Where there is a service charge added, it's hard to say if you should leave a little extra or not. In some countries tipping is just not expected and not done, in others, waiters may expect loose change.
Gratuities are generally not expected in Japan. Not expected in Australia and New Zealand either, but you can leave a little extra for outstanding service.
In the rest of the world, you'll find even more of the the kind of variation you find in Europe now. Service charges are included in some restaurants and not in others. Travelers just have to be observant to figure out tipping customs in different countries. Read current guidebooks for the specific country you'll be visiting. Watch to see what the locals do when they are paying.
Don't ask the waiter... you'll probably get an answer like, "As you please sir." Then you'll probably feel obligated to leave something whether you should or not!
If you frequent higher end restaurants, you'll probably find tipping is more customary even if there is a service charge included... partly because you'll be expecting and getting exemplary service.
If you frequent small local places, you can probably just go with the service charge that is included or add a small gratuity... but listen to your conscience on that... in developing countries, your server probably needs that loose change way more than you do.
I guess the bottom line, so to speak, is to read those guidelines in guidebooks, be observant about what others are doing, check the bottom of the menu and hope you do the right thing.
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