Q. My husband uses a wheelchair at airports all over the world but I find it very difficult to know when, and how much, to give the kind attendants. One man happily pocketed ten euros at Amsterdam last month, while another (a woman) refused to take anything at all. I believe it is standard to tip five or ten dollars in the US but I have had polite refusals in the UK and elsewhere. Any advice on how much and where to proffer gratefully received.
— S.S., Crieff
A. Tipping etiquette is in chaos. Not only is there no international consistency but there has been a generational change so that even in London taxi-drivers have got used to people not tipping; in the country it has for some reason always been more normal not to tip taxis. But the truth is that all the hand-wringing about this is one-sided. The giver may worry and worry and worry, and want to do the right thing. The givee is rarely, if ever, offended by an offer, and is free to say no. In your case a tenner sounds about right, in euros, dollars or pounds.
Q. The other day I had to see my English teacher between hockey and changing for a play. Was it bad manners to go to his study in my games kit (a short skirt and polo top)?
— Name withheld, Marlborough
A. Thank you for raising this important question of etiquette. Teachers see their pupils in games kit all the time on the games field and are aware of the tight schedules of time-tabling. So, unless there are rules against it, your appearance in his study in games kit would not be judged insolent. In the workplace, it is a different matter.
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