Evening star., 1936-11-12
No. 13 OF q series.
BY |. WILLIAM HILL,

wa
NARIS. - The main problems Of
- foreign travel are two: To fig
ure out how much money you
a have in terms of a strange
currency, and to figure out how to
make it last.
We we're only half way through the
first problem, after boarding the train
at Calais, when the porter finished
placing our baggage in the rack above
our head, and looked at us expectantly.
We handed him large and shiny coin,
uncertain whether it was too much or
too little.
1t turned out all right, but we still
think it would be good idea if there
was a fixed charge for porter service
at so much per bag at ports where
foreign visitors enter a new country
1t would save the traveller a great deal
of perplexity in the middle of new and
beWildering enough surroundings. and
at the same time would insure the
porter getting fair compensation with
out the bi-lingual argument that is
often enough to make traveller think
he doesn't like new country.
Amount of a Tip.
How much should one tip a por-
ter?' We asked a rather attractive
French girl sitting in our compart-
ment as the train pulled out of Calais
Fortunately she spoke English.
They usually expect ? francs (about
10 cents for each piece" she said,
land if they perform a service like
helping you through the customs, a
little extra
In France We 1earned they call a tip
a "pourboire, which literally means
drink money" Whether tipping began
in France as drink money" we haven't
yet discovered. In England, however,
it began when they put up small boxes
in taverns in which a customer could
drop few coins, as the sign said, ITO
Insure Promptness," the initial letters
of which spell "tip!" 1t is a fact
in France that servants expect q
small sum with which to purchase
wine, In addition to their wages.
The Quaintness of France.
There is q quaintneSs to rural
France that is very different from the
rural England one sees from a train
window. England has more flowers,
France more vegetable gardens. The
houses of England are newer and more
brightly painted, but those of France
are more picturesque. In the fields
of France, too, women labor beside
their men, and most of the work is
done by hand rather than by ma
chinery. There's many a scene be-
tween Calais and Paris that would do
as model for Millet's famous paint
ing of "The Angelus."
Much can be learned about foreign
travel from listening to conversations
on train.
For example, an Englishman was
talking TO an acquaintance about
hotel accommodations.
There are two ways to proceed
when you get to a new city," he said
IF it is a small city, check your bags
at the station and go for walk.
Find a hotel at q location you like.
Walk in and look around. If you still
like it. ask them if they will let you
have a room at whatever price you
Ere willing to pay. Never ask them
the price OF a room. Usually you'll
get a room, all right, and then you
can send the hotel porter back to the
station for your baggage. incidentally,
anywhere in Europe except England. |
bring your soap with you 1t is not !
furnished with your ROOM
But what about a large city, like
earis?"
Progress by Telephone.
That's the second way. In this I
ease you have to know the names of |
some hotels, however. When you
arrive at the station, telephone one
of these hotels. There's always q
clerk who speaks English. Tell him
what accommodations you desire and
how much you are willing to pay.
Again, don't ask the price, and re-
member, too, that in French hotels
there is no tipping. Ten per cent of