How to Behave During a Limousine Ride

Limousines are a lot like hotels: they can comfortably seat five or six people, they have a well-stocked bar, and “room service” simply requires pressing a button and issuing instructions to the driver. So why is it that some people behave so badly in a limo when they would never think of trashing a $500-a-night luxury suite? Here is how to keep your limo ride stress free for you, your other passengers, and the driver.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Manners
• Limousine

1. Be where you are supposed to be. Technically, a botched pickup is no big deal to the limo company. After all, you’re going to be billed for the ride, whether you and your friends are waiting in the right place or not. However, your guests may not appreciate cooling their heels for hours at a bus station downtown when you actually told the limo driver to pick you up at your house.
2. Let the driver open the doors. Yes, you may be eager to impress your girfriend, but you’ll have to settle for her wonderment about the magnificent transportation you’ve arranged—it’s strictly the limo driver’s job to open the door for guests. Having a tug-of-war over the door handle is not a good way to start a fancy evening (and if you lose, your manhood may be called into question).
3. Don’t play “pack the limo.” The reason a limo company asks how many guests you’ll be bringing is so it can dispatch a vehicle of the right size. Suddenly doubling your guest count will necessitate a long wait as the driver radios for a bigger limo (and no, no mattter how much you bribe him, he will not let you stuff 20 people into his tricked-up sedan).
4. Keep the drinking to a minimum. Part of the fun of riding a limo is having sufficient room (and sufficiently robust shock absorbers) to pour out a champagne toast. But if it’s a two-hour ride to your destination, getting smashed will only annoy your driver and incur additional expenses (such as when your pal slices open the back-seat upholstery on the theory that “someone rich must have hidden diamonds in there.”)
5. Be nice to the driver. It’s usually in your driver’s interest to convey you quickly and safely to your destination, but if you insult him needlessly (“Hey, Pedro! Don’t they teach you how to drive in Peru?), he may just as well let you off at an abandoned coal mine on the outskirts of town. Also, remember that it’s customary to tip your driver at least 20 percent (this is often figured into the bill, so be sure to check your paperwork).