American Travelers Are Among the World's Best Tippers

Americans are among the world's best tippers according to a new survey from TripAdvisor.

The travel site conducted a survey of 9,000 respondent, 1,600 of which were from the U.S and asked them about their tipping behavior. According to the survey, 99 percent of Americans leave a tip on vacation. Of the American respondents 57 percent said they always leave a tip while traveling, while an average of 43 percent do from other countries.

"Tipping is a cultural norm in the States and U.S. travelers have a tendency to take their customs on the road whether they are on American soil or traveling abroad," said Brooke Ferencsik , director of communications at TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor asked travelers around the world how likely they are to leave a tip on a trip. The travel site surveyed respondents in eight countries around the world including the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, and Brazil.

Here are the nationalities that said that they always tip on vacation.

1. Germans - 69%
2. Americans - 57%
3. Russians - 53%
4. Brazilians - 40%
5. French - 39%
6. Brits - 39%
7. Spanish - 36%
8. Italians - 23%

The site went into more detail on U.S. tipping trends. They found that 59 percent of U.S. respondents will leave a tip when staff goes beyond expectations. The respondents were asked what would encourage them to leave a tip at a hotel or restaurant. Travelers listed the se factors as the main reason they would tip staff.

Helpfulness of service, friendliness of service and politeness of service, in that order, are the top reasons they would trip at a hotel. At a restaurant, the top reasons were friendliness of service, politeness of service and helpfulness of service.

The tipping rules may vary by country so travelers turned to certain sources to determine if they should tip and how much depending on where they went. Of the respondents, only 16 percent said they always feel they are informed on how much to leave. The become better informed, 73 percent use reference travel guides, 48 percent read online reviews, 46 percent check online forums, 35 percent ask friends and family who have been to the country and 26 percent simply ask the locals.

When trying to figure out a tip, 85 percent said they calculate it in their head, 18 percent use a smartphone and seven percent use a tip conversion sheet.