Hey,
Im doing this tour by myself, really looking forward to it.
Ive Actually been living here in the US on the east coast for 12months and im doing this tour befor flying back home to Auz.
Its great to see that there will be a few Aussies going, it will be great to hear some aussie voices for a change haha.

Cant wait to meet you all,
Hoping for an awsome n crazy 14days ha ha

My last day at work today for 6 weeks. Geez it felt good. Im flying out of sydney on monday.
Hope everyone has a safe and comfortable flight. Looking forward to meeting you all on wednesday.

Hello Everyone-

My name is Matt and I just got word that I will be your tour manager for this tour! If you have ANY questions please feel free to ask me. I will try to answer them as quickly as I can. We hit the ground running and alot of information is given pretty quickly. I will take a few minutes to fill you in on some things you'll need to know:

1. There will be THREE modules coinciding with the dates of the full Wild Western.

Wild Western- Anaheim to Anaheim
Western Highlights- Anaheim to Las Vegas (about 10-15 people will be getting off in Las Vegas)
*California Highlights- Las Vegas to Anaheim (we pick up people in Vegas. Usually the same amount of people who get off)
*California Highlights people will be getting on one week into the tour. This could be as of some shock to some if your travel agent did not make you aware of this. But do not fret! You will be welcomed with open arms!

2. Unlike European Contiki tours we do not have our own "sites". We stay in hotels with the general public and go to bars/clubs with the general public. Therefore, PLEASE come with an open mind and get ready to experience America! Which if you ask me, is the whole point of going to another country; to experience the culture with the locals.

3. TIPPING/GRATUITY-

TIPS: One of the most confusing and misunderstood customs about American culture; “When do we tip?”, “who do we tip?”, “How much do we tip?”, “do we have to?”, and “why?”

It is a reality of life over here. Sure, it is un-Australian/European. But you're not in Australia or Europe . Leaving a couple of coins with the bill and heading for the exit is NOT appropriate if the service was OK. When in Rome eat spaghetti and pizza. When in the US, tip. Suck it up. Tip appropriately. Don't let the fear of tipping ruin your meal and your holiday. When you draw up the budget for your US trip take tipping into account.

For the waiters, porters, bartenders, etc. the tips you give them are how they pay their bills. In California the minimum wage is a measly $US8.00 ($A12.22) an hour. And most restaurants get away with paying “service industry minimum” which is about half that. People in the service industry get taxed on their average monthly tips. So if you do not tip at all, they still get taxed on what you should have tipped. So in some cases a server may end up PAYING to work if not tipped at all. Aussies and other foreigners often argue they should not have to make up for America's crappy wages. And that’s a fair argument. But,it's an American culture and you will find generally the level of service will be a lot higher in the US than Australia or Europe because your servers are working for their tips. And THAT is the whole point. Here is a list of SOME of the service industry jobs you may encounter:

Waiter/waitress—10-20% of check (10% or below for bad service, 15% for good, 20%+ for excellent)

· Bartender--1-2 US dollars per drink (USD) or 15-20% of total tab (tip large the first 2 rounds!)

· Hairstylist--10-15% of amount for service

· Manicurist--10-15% for total amount

· Masseuse--10-15% of massage price

· Taxi or Limousine driver--15% of total

· Airport skycap or Hotel Valet--1-2 USD per piece of luggage.

· Anything bought over the counter (i.e. fast food establishments and grocery stores) do NOT require tips!

· Tattoo- $15-$20 minimum for a $150 tattoo. $20-$50 minimum for a $200 or above tattoo

You base the service on everything from, promptness, personality, how they deal with problems, etc. Think about it, is it fair that the same 2 people get paid the exact same if one isn’t good at what they do? I know tipping is a custom that takes time to adjust to and understand. Some of you only have 2 weeks here in America and I will do everything in my power to get you accustomed as fast as possible.

4. FOOD- We have A LOT of options here. Yes there is alot of fast food/unhealthy choices. However, there is tons of healthy options also.

5. We leave at 7:45 AM sharp on Wednesday morning and every morning that we leave for a new city. There is a 30 minute - 1hour pre-departure meeting at 7pm Tuesday night. PLEASE bring your passports.

Those are just a few things that are wondered before arrival. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask on here as for I will be checking occasionally throughout the next few days. Now get ready for an ADVENTURE!

Matt

* LA to the Bay will also be one of the tours within the full Wild Western. LA to the Bay gets on in Anaheim and gets off in San Francisco.

It's not as confusing as it sounds, I just like to make everyone aware of some of the things that most travel agents forget to tell you.

Matt

Hey matt.
thanks for the info. Looking forward to meeting you and the rest of the group on wednesday

Hi Matt thanks for the advice.. the tipping thing was confusing me! i'm leaving in bout 3 1/2 hrs for the airport.. yay!! see u all in a few days