By YOUNG MONEY Staff
22 July 2010

The custom of tipping is fraught with anxiety and cultural differences. It's easy to get confused and inadvertently offend your hosts, guests or servers when you adopt the wrong tipping customs, whether it's European tourists failing to leave more than a few dollars at a five-star restaurant in New York City or an American traveler becoming overwhelmed by the custom of baksheesh in Egypt.

With that in mind, Cheapflights.com - a leader online travel search and publishing - takes a bit of the stress out of tipping with their helpful "How-to Guide for Tipping Around the World."

For American travelers, it's helpful to know that the Asian nations of China, Japan and Singapore have no "tipping culture," while the in the Middle East, the savvy journeyer ought to "have a roll of small bills ready to tip everyone."

In some places, like Australia and the islands of the South Pacific, tipping can even be considered inappropriate or impolite.

In Europe, many waiters are full-time professionals with benefits, and the service charge is generally included in the bill. This means tipping is generally only customary for exceptional service, and explains why so many European travelers in the US get a bad rap as poor tippers!

Check out Cheapflights.com for the complete list.