Exploratory Trip – Unanswered Questions

[C MICHAEL S.]

I subscribed to IL and Ecuador Insider, it has been very helpful except for a few unanswered questions. I am now doing an exploratory trip in April to Cuenca, Quito, Otavalo and Cotacachi to evaluate retiring options in mountainous Ecuador. Several times I have read that I shouldn’t tip taxis, do you also recommend not tipping waiters in restaurants? What is a recommend tip percent, if any?? If there is very little crime, why are cautions posted about staying out late at night? I intend to rent car to travel north of Quito, are there gas stations and do they take credit cards? What does gas cost? Should I purchase a plane ticket from Quito to Cuenca ahead of time, OR can I purchase it at the airport the morning of the flight? Are the flights generally full? It is recommended I buy a Panama Hat in Cuenca (my first stop) to protect my bald head, but now understand a quality hat costs $300.00? Is this correct and do merchants take credit card for this very expensive hat? Are ATM’s OK to use or should I leave my Debit card home and bring lots of cash? Thanks to whoever responds, your advice is very appreciated.

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

That’s great that you’ll be able to check out Ecuador next month! Hopefully you’ll love it as much as we all do. I’m going to answer the questions that I can and hopefully our other experts will chime in with answers to the others.

Tipping – For the most part it is not a general practice to tip in Ecuador. However, every expat you ask will give you a different answer if you ask about tipping. The concern is that if expats tip or over tip, then the practice will become expected and local Ecuadorians will not be able to afford services. Here’s my personal philosophy – For the set lunches (almuerzos) and most small restaurants I don’t usually tip. Maybe $.50 if I received excellent service. For upscale restaurants or those owned by expats I typically tip 15% if the gratuity is not included in the bill. Taxi drivers only get tipped if they go out of their way to carry my bags up to my hotel room or some other such service.

Crime – Ecuador is not generally a dangerous country but there is some crime. Wandering cities late at night is a good time for a criminal to target you and there will be fewer people around to help you out. Being extra cautious at night is a rule I live by no matter where I am in the world.

Gas – There are plenty of gas stations and most that I’ve seen will take a credit card, though I’d have cash on hand in case the cc machine is not working. Fuel is subsidized by the government so it is relatively cheap. I think unleaded runs around $1.50/gallon and diesel is close to $1/gallon.

Flights – Hopefully Edd will weigh in on this one as he has more experience in this department.

Hats – Panama hats come in a wide range of grades. You do not need to buy the best $300 hat, just don’t buy the cheapest $20 hat. Find something with a nice tight weave and good overall impression. Or just bring a hat from home.

ATMs – We use ATMs all the time and have never had a problem. Just make sure your bank knows you’ll be traveling in Ecuador so they don’t block your debit card because it is being used in a foreign country (this looks suspicious if your bank doesn’t know you’re abroad). If you do bring cash, don’t bring anything larger than a $20 bill as you’ll have trouble getting anyone to take larger denominations.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

I have never tipped a taxi driver, and I generally leave a 10% tip at restaurants if it hasn’t already been added to the bill (give it directly to the waiter–many owners don’t pass tips along to their employees). Wendy’s right–tips aren’t really expected for almuerzos. Regarding flights, they are rarely full but if you already know your itinerary why wouldn’t you purchase the ticket ahead of time and be done with it? A Panama hat for $300 would be a damn nice one, my friend–unless you want a lifetime souvenir they can be had for as little as 8 bucks.

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