Peru Tipping & Etiquette

Peru Tipping & Etiquette

 

Tipping

Most restaurant and bar bills include a 10% gratuity. It's customary to add an extra 10% if the service has been satisfactory. Most Peruvians only tip one or two Soles at small "mom and pop" restaurants that do not add a tip to the bill.

Taxis do not expect tips. Fares are negotiated prior to initiating the trip.

Hotel porters and bell boys expect a tip of $ 1 per bag.

Etiquette

Dress

The high-end restaurants will expect you to wear something else than jeans or Bermudas. A nice pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt will do much better. In winter time you will look sharper by using a blazer or a leather jacket.

"Casual" or "sport" dress codes mean Dockers (khakis/chinos) or better, with a shirt and sweater or jacket. "Sport elegante" means you will be wearing a coat but no tie. "Elegante" or "formal " will mean for sure you will wear a tie.

Always wear coat and tie to a cocktail party.

If you are invited to play golf, do NOT wear jeans as you will not be allowed to enter the course (same applies for ladies).You are expected to wear proper golf attire, no cutoffs or bathing suits and t-shirts. Only soft spikes please.

Dining Out 

You can ask for non-smoking areas at the restaurants. Be sure you make reservations ahead of time, specially for dinner at well known restaurants. You will be surprised at how crowded they get.

Unless you are going to a restaurant frequented by tourists, you will be expected for lunch between 1:30 and 3:30 and for dinner between 8:30 and 11:30.

Events 

Peruvians are not known for their punctuality. If you are invited to a house, you will normally be expected to arrive at least 30 minutes after the invitation time. You should bring a bottle of wine or flowers or chocolates for the house-lady. Wear nice clothing, do not come wearing jeans unless you know your hosts pretty well and they say so. If you are invited for lunch , food will normally be served after 3 pm, for dinner after 10 pm.

For weddings, you should arrive 30 minutes after the hour of the invitation at the church. Always wear a tie and coat.

RSVP means you need to confirm your attendance.

General Courtesy

If you want to impress your Peruvian girlfriend and future parents-in-law be sure you are always courteous to her. Open her car door before you get in. You should do the same upon arrival to your destination.

Ladies always before you, when entering an elevator or a room.

When a lady sitting next to you at a restaurant stands up, you are also expected to do the same. When she returns to the table, you should also stand up.

When wine or drinks are poured, everyone waits to be served and everyone says "salud" before you start drinking.

Peru Banks & Money

 

The local currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol S/. ( Sol means sun).

You can exchange USA $ or Euros at almost any place, banks, money changing offices, hotels, restaurants and with street money changers. Beware of false notes. You are better off  exchanging at  hotels or  banks.

Many ATMs are available for all systems (Visa,Master Card,Cirrus, etc), but you need to plan to take cash if you go to  Aguas Calientes.  ATMs and banks are a rare find in those areas. Most ATM machines in Peru do not add any charge for withdrawing money from your home bank account, but your own bank might. As of April 2008, the only banks that add a surcharge for withdrawal were Interbank Globalnet ATMs, and Banco Continental (each adds a surcharge of about USA$2 per withdrawal).  In the Lima airport, the only ATMs are Interbank Globalnet, so there's no way to avoid a surcharge at the airport. You can withdraw money in Peruvian Soles or USA Dollars at most machines across the country.

You can redeem travellers checks at most banks, but you will get lower exchange rates and charged a comission. Do not  use travellers checks in Peru, as many places do not accept them. Only the owner of the traveller check can cash it at a bank, no endorsments are allowed.

The USA $ dollar is accepted at almost all commercial places, and many times, prices are quoted both in USA $ and S/. You can pay with dollars and receive dollars  or soles in exchange. Bring new crispy low denomination bills as they are well accepted by money changers. Old, torn or high denomination bills are not easily accepted. Like in the USA, any transaction in cash for USA $ 10,000 or more has to be reported to the local authorities.

The actual exchange rate in March 2009, is fluctuating between 3.15 and 3.25 soles to one USA $.

Most U.S.banks will change USA $ to soles with a few days notice and a minimal fee, thereby not having to deal with exchanging in Peru, but will give you a much lower exchange rate.

Peru Weather & When to Go

 

Peru can be visited all year round, but it all depends what do you want to do or visit.

Summer is from December to March but, it is the rainy season on the highlands and the jungle. During February the Inca Trail is closed for tourists.In summer the beaches south of Lima are great. You can also go to the North of Peru and visit Mancora all year round, as it is close to the Equator and will be sunny.

It never rains in Lima, but it gets cold due to the humidity between June and August. Its normally overcast with fog. If you go out of Lima towards the central mountains, you will find the sun about an hour away.

Most popular time to visit Cusco is between June and August, but the recommend time to visit is in April, May or September to October, just after and before the rainy season and the tourist crowds. If you do not mind the rain and are not doing the Inca trail, the highlands are beautiful green and flowery during the rainy season.

The sun is always out in the highlands, but it will be chilly in the afternoons and quite cold during winter at night. Dress  with clothing in layers ( t shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater, jacket) so you can "peel" them off as it gets warmer and put them back on when it gets colder. Bring a small backpack to carry your clothing and tourist apparel.

 For 10 days extended forecast in English, in the main cities of Peru go to : http://www.senamhi.gob.pe/

Argentina Tipping & Etiquette

Restaurants
Locals will tell you 10% (or less) is standard and tourists will normally tip more.

Spas
15-20% of the service is standard at most spas.

Taxis 
Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped unless they perform some extra service such as carrying your bags or luggage to your hotel entrance, etc.  But almost everybody leaves them some. Usually the coins change. 

Ushers in movie theaters

One peso for showing you to your assigned seat. At he actual inflation rates, 50 cents is nothing compared to the ticket price.

Hotels

A minimum of one peso per baggage for taking luggage to your room. But with that minimum you are not gaining any further service. Better make the minimum a 2 pesos bill.

Argentina Banks & Money

 Currency

The legal currency in Argentina is the "Argentine Peso" (since there is also the Mexican peso).

Try to get pesos as soon as you get to Argentina. Taxis, buses and most restaurants and stores used by locals will not accept foreign currency.

Banks & Currency exchange

Currency can be exchanged in most Banks (open from 10 am to 3 pm) and exchange companies "casas de cambio" operating in the same time-range. Try to avoid exchanging your money with people in the street, operating mainly in the downtown area (called "arbolitos" -little trees- by locals, since they are right beside the road).

Keep about a third of you money in dollars, and the rest in pesos. You can always exchange dollars by the official rates in several Banco de La Nación agencies across town. Remember that money exchange houses usually pull the rates down, so you should go there only in the weekends when banks are closed. A good alternative is to get local money from your account using the ATMs spread all over the city. By this, you avoid travelling with money and sometimes getting a lousy exchange rate. ATMs are found not only in banks but also in Shopping Centers.

Argentina Weather & When to Go

Average temperature for October = 16 degrees centigrade

Average rainfall for October = 99mm

Buenos Aires Weather

has a mild and warm climate throughout the year. The winter months are June to August, the summer months are December to February, the spring months are September to November, and the autumn months are March, April and May. Buenos Aires is ideal in spring and fall while the summer months are sometimes very hot, but usually quite pleasant.

The humidity is sometimes high during summer. Winters are not very mild, but it could be foggy and misty at night and in the mornings. Rain is a bit more common in the months of May, October and November. But no matter the time of year, Buenos Aires remains a pleasant destination year-round, with many beautiful sunny days.

 

 

Andre Nel

 

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