Baksheesh in Egypt - Understanding the System and Playing the Game

Many people, especially first-time visitors to Egypt, allow the constant demands for baksheesh to spoil their holidays. Because it can be extremely irritating and confusing, it is important to understand that it is a far more complex concept than mere tipping and that it is demanded of locals as well as foreigners. It covers a range of activities from tipping for services rendered, to outright bribery and alms giving.

Egypt has a baksheesh-based economy. Most Egyptians are poorly paid and have no social security so the tips supplement their income. Also, they find it virtually impossible to get any basic services or sort out problems without slipping tradesmen something extra, and giving authorities, even policemen, a 'bribe'.
Charitable giving is a fundamental tenet of Islam and asking for alms is not regarded as shameful.

That being said, however, there is a thriving baksheesh racket in most tourist areas with many locals resorting to innovative ways to relieve the unsuspecting visitor of his or her money. For example, the electrical system is often deliberately turned off in tombs, monuments and museums by guards who then make a big deal of switching it back on and asking for baksheesh.

The following are a few rules and suggestions from my own experience on how to play the game.

1. Collect as many small denomination notes as possible because locals will not give change for larger notes; they hoard the small ones for their own use. Although paying with Egyptian pounds is best, you can use $US or Euros. Keep a supply of baksheesh separate from your wallet, and take a supply of ball point pens as these are always in great demand by adults and children alike and substitute for cash baksheesh.
2. Watch out for those who solicit taxi rides from the airports especially if they ask for prepayment. Remember these men are not the drivers. Establish a firm price for a cab, or as near as possible, before getting in and clarify that the price includes your luggage. You do not need to pay the taxi driver a tip on top of the fare no matter how much he tries to intimidate you at your destination.
3. At tourist sites where you pay an entrance fee, you do not have to pay any guards to show you an inscription, image or something that you can find for yourself. However, if you would like to see a locked room or area closed to the public for which he alone has the keys, then by all means give him whatever you think is appropriate otherwise you might miss out on a great experience. But remember, the locked room could just be another ploy.
4. It is usual to pay baksheesh to a porter at the airport or railway station even if you can manage the luggage on your own and the distance is short. Porters are often old men and this might be their only source of income. If two men are helping you, don't pay one, expecting him to share with the other. Pay each one separately. If you really don't want their help, state this assertively. The same applies to hotel porters, but beware of those who once inside your room, linger around trying for more baksheesh by turning down your bed, showing you the water pressure and how to flush the toilet.
5. Baksheesh should be given to those men and women who look after public toilets and those in hotels, even though they don't always keep them as clean as you would expect. To avoid being held hostage over a few sheets of toilet paper, always take your own, but be aware that many public toilet caretakers have to buy the toilet paper themselves and only make money if you purchase it from them.
6. Do not accept someone's offer to take your photo at tourist sites unless you are prepared to pay. If you hand over your camera, you are likely to be squeezed out of more money to get it back.
7. Under no circumstances pay police, especially the Tourist police on camels, or someone who gives you directions.
8. To avoid being intimidated by groups of children selling postcards, predatory camel drivers on the Giza plateau, and felucca touts along the Nile, wear sunglasses so that you do not make eye contact and headphones so that you cannot hear their persistent demands.

It is probably a good idea to use your intuition when handing out baksheesh, but don't let the practice spoil your holiday because most Egyptians are hospitable and friendly. Try to see it for what it is in the context of Egyptian society and culture.

Pamela Bradley, also known as Zelda, is a noted author of nine books on ancient cultures and mysteries, historian, public speaker and passionate traveler. Follow her travels on http://www.zeldastravels.com and check out her profile, books, recent memoir, Nefertiti Street, as well as her observations on writing and women on http://www.pamelabradley.com