Fiona wrote:

Can anyone tell me if Mexico is as bad as the States for tipping(ie tip anything that moves!).
Also, has anyone taken small presents to hand out eg in India I would take sets of crayons and paper.

We never found it as common as in the USA, but did tip for good service. This helps the AI drinks flow too as the barmen notice you.

As for gifts if you took crayons etc the locals imho would explain to you that the kids have loads from Walmart at home.
Mexico did not seem to have nearly as bad poverty level as the islands, and the hotel workers we chatted to seemed to be doing ok.

Thanks
I wouldn't want to insult anyone so thought I should ask here before planning on taking anything over.
As for tipping- you kind of confirmed what I thought. I just got a bit panicked when booking my transfer and the site talked about perhaps tipping the greeter and then to think about the fact that the drivers depended heavily upon tips. Mind you the firm is called USA Transfers

Be careful, because the Americans and Canadians keep saying on trip advisor 'don't forget to tip, but bear in mind you have already paid for your tips in your holiday cost. We tip but not everyone, couple of dollars a day to the maid and a dollar hear and there to the waiters. if you were to tip like the american's you would need another few hundred dollars in spending money. The American culture of tipping is ruining places, the UK is not a tipping cuture because we pay a better wage.

Thanks Maz
that was very helpful.i was kind of thinking along that lines.