I come from a country where tipping is not part of our culture - people are paid a decent minimum wage and are not dependent on tips to make a living. However, we believe in "when in Rome . . . " so we do tip in a country where that is expected. But we hate to hear the all-too-common chant of: "Don't forget to tip!"

Last year (in one day) we had 2 noteworthy experiences.

We arrived into Toronto airport in a driving rainstorm. Our plane was the last to land before the airport was closed.

To get from the airport to our downtown hotel, we got into the taxi at the head of the queue. The interior of the taxi was messy and it looked as if the driver slept in it.

While on the motorway, still in torrential rain, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and we veered into the next lane. My DH woke up the driver and told him he was not safe to drive, and to pull over, but there was nowhere to stop. My DH was vigilant, watched the driver the rest of the way, and had to tap him on the shoulder several more times, as his eyelids started to droop again.

When we arrived at our hotel, the driver loudly demanded a tip. My DH told him, "No tip. You were a danger to us, to yourself and to other drivers. Get off the road and get some sleep."

At the hotel, the concierge immediately asked us how he could help. We told him we intended to check in, but first wanted to know what we could do to get that taxi driver off the road, before he killed someone.

The concierge heard our story, helped us to report the driver, and then waited as we checked in, and took us and our bags to our room. Because he had been so helpful, we gave him an extra-large tip. (We reward good service.)

Fifteen minutes later, the concierge was back at our door. He told us that he had reported our story to his Manager and that he and the Manager were so perturbed that our frightening taxi ride was our first introduction to Toronto that they were giving us a voucher for a free meal (including wine) in the hotel's fancy restaurant.

So, two opposite tipping experiences in the space of a couple of hours!