Tipping, honestly
Tipping is woven through daily life here far more than in Europe, and over a fortnight it is a real budget line rather than loose change. No amounts, because amounts rot — the guidance below is relative, and it is what people who live here actually do.
Restaurants
Around 10% where service is not already added, and check the bill, because a service charge often is.
A service charge on the bill does not always reach the staff. A small amount in cash on the table does.
Hotel housekeeping
A small daily amount left in the room, rather than a lump at the end.
Daily matters because the person cleaning your room changes through the week; the lump at checkout reaches whoever is on that day.
Porters and bag handling
Roughly the price of a coffee per bag.
This is one of the few places where refusing help is awkward — someone will take your bag before you have decided.
Dive guides and boat crew
At the end of a trip or a week rather than per dive; a shared boat tip split between guides and crew is the norm.
Ask the centre what is customary on their boats. They will tell you straight, and the answer varies more than you would expect.
Taxi drivers
Not expected on an agreed fare. Rounding up is normal and sufficient.
If you agreed a price, that is the price. A driver who then asks for more is not tipping culture, it is a renegotiation.
Excursion guides and drivers
Separately, at the end, and more for the guide than the driver.
On a long day like Luxor the tips are effectively part of the price, and the sold price assumes you will pay them.
Petrol attendants, car parking, small helps
Small change, and genuinely small.
Baksheesh for tiny services is normal and not a scam. It is also entirely fine to decline a service you did not ask for.