For the most part, I feel like I get great service when I travel. I've started to wonder recently why people take similar trips to me but have vastly different experiences in service and happiness, so, I've done some thinking on this topic.
The low-hanging food for thought is that choosing good hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, etc. is a major factor in experience. This is absolutely true. I do think the answer to better service is more complex than just vendor management, though. I think our approach and mindset towards it has a ton to do with the outcome.
Let me start by saying I'm not naturally happy-go-lucky. I get irritated easily and have to fight off the urge to speak my mind and be an ass, regularly. The advice I'm about to give is not something I'm necessarily perfect at. It is, however, something I've tried to work on in recent travels and I feel it has made my experiences much more enjoyable on the whole. My blogs are typically written on personal mistakes and are often giving advice to myself.
Moving on: After thinking about service and experience while on vacation, I've come up with two tips that I think are changing our travel experiences for the better. This blog will address this topic from two different factors that go hand-in-hand: Respect and Tipping.
Be mindful that this is also written in terms of travel and vacations. While many of these points will help you get better service at home, this is geared towards traveling abroad or in areas different from where you live.
Respect
As Tim McGraw sings, "Always be humble and kind."
At restaurants, hotels, on cruise ships, or all-inclusive resorts, the key to a positive experience starts with respecting the workers you encounter. They are working. They are also often underpaid for the service they are expected to provide. Even when they aren't giving 100%, sometimes having a positive attitude towards them can turn your entire experience around.
A simple smile can turn someone's day around. It's not hard to be nice. Let's just start there. Be friendly, polite, and display kindness. This often softens up even those that would rather be doing anything other than serving you.
Patience is also critical. When traveling, places are often crowded. This means those taking care of you are busy, tired, and again, underpaid.
If it takes a little longer than you'd like to be seated, greeted, or served, try show some patience and grace. I found that when I do this, it can make you an instant friend of the staff working to make your vacation better. Patience and understanding has the ability to give you a complete 180 degree turn from bad to good.
I always say that there is very little separating you from everyone else around you. For example: in a crowded restaurant, entitled and impatient people are a dime-a-dozen. People that are patient and understanding, are few and far between. What could make a server work a little harder for you? Being the table they enjoy walking over to that they know isn't going to bite their head off when they go over there.
In a world of angry people, be kind and respectful.
Finally, be respectful of cultural norms and differences. Not everyone talks and interacts like you do. People from the south have a whole different take on "polite" than people in New York City. It doesn't mean that they aren't nice, it's just a different culture.
Language barriers, personal space, and service standards vary greatly from one area of the world to another. Be mindful of that, be patient with that understanding, and do your best to be polite and respectful knowing that we all have a different expectation of communication and service.
Having positive interactions will likely lead to positivity being returned to you.
The more I've focused on this when I travel and try to connect with the local people I encounter, the better service and experience I've had.
Remember: being nice is easy, but many don't do it. You'll stand out in the crowd by being kind, patient, and understanding. The service will follow your lead.
Tipping
Boy this one is touchy. It's really simple, some people are tippers, and some people are not. Whether you think you should have to leave a tip or not, there's little doubt that throwing a few extra dollars towards those working for you goes a long way towards having a positive experience.
Most restaurants, bars, and tours have an expectation of tipping. It's important to tip in these situations, and tip well for good service. There are also places where tipping is not the expectation, and this is where being generous can take your service to a whole new level.
When on cruise ships and at all-inclusive resorts, the staff talks. Tip early. By showing the staff that you are willing to reward good service, you'll receive better, quicker, and happier attention for the duration of your vacation. Cruise ship drink packages and all-inclusive resorts often say gratuities are included. While that's true, very little of that is going to the people that take care of you. Tipping above and beyond expectation will no doubt make you a fan favorite at your favorite vacation watering hole or restaurant.
Remember: very little separates you from everyone else around you. So, what separates you from everyone else on a cruise with the drink package? Tipping.
When we find a place we think we are going to hang out on our trip and a server that we like, we'll tip right then. I want the staff to know they are appreciated and that I value their hard work. When I started doing this, my experiences improved tenfold. I realized the only difference between me and the other 25 people at that bar were my tip and occasionally my kindness.
If you have the money to go a vacation, you have the money to tip the staff that works for you. Plain and simple. This money is not wasted. You'll get it back with better service and experience.
As I said, the staff on ships and resorts talk. If you are non-tipper, I assure you there's a reason that everyone else at the bar is getting service before you.
The same goes for your local restaurants, luggage porters at hotels, and drivers.
Tipping early in the trip and tipping well is a game changer. Then, if the great service continues, tip again at the end of your trip for those that have taken care.
Not only will you get better service, you're also helping out people that are working hard for their money. Those people, like good tippers, are hard to find these days.
Respect and Tipping Are The Key
When you combine kindness and respect with good tipping to show appreciation for hard work, I promise your experiences will improve.
If your tendency towards this blog is get defensive or upset, it may be time for a look in the mirror.
This is not an argument for tipping culture. It's simple, you get what you pay for. As I mentioned earlier, people serving you on your vacation are working hard for their money, that's more than you can say for most people. Pay them for it.
I repeat: if you have the money to go on a cruise or to an all-inclusive resort, you have the money to tip for great service.
Respect should be a given. Even when things aren't going well. Some people are just miserable, and they seem to not want to stop until they make the rest of us miserable. Approaching people with kindness and patience has the ability to turn their day around and lead to a better experience for you.
Finally, for those of you that are rude AND don't tip, there's a reason you get poor service and the guy on the other end of the bar keeps getting a drink before you. Kick rocks and take a look in the mirror.
My rant is over for the day. Again, I'm not always perfect at these things. These are lessons I have learned.
They are part of "The Vacation Mindset" that we talk about so often at CruiseNReview.
I believe that your experience is what you make it and how you approach it.
Treat people well, be generous, and have fun. The rest will take itself.
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