The Kind Blog

August 5, 2017

Big Tips
Tipping isn't really a thing outside of America. At least, in most places...

In some of the more touristy areas of Europe, gratuity might be included in the check but typically servers do not expect a tip, partly because they're already getting paid more per hour rather than doing it the way we do in the United States. So leaving a tip is kind of a big deal.

I decided to leave a €40 tip at a tapas place in the city center of Madrid one day just because. The service wasn't particularly great. The food was OK. I can't even remember our waitress's name. But that's the point of it being random, right? It doesn't necessitate anything from the recipient.

So with a quick note thanking her for serving us, I left the money on our table and scrambled.

And a few weeks later, I did it again in Naples at a group dinner in a fairly busy pizza place. Just because it felt right. And again in Tivat, Montenegro, at a hectic restaurant overlooking the sunset.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to make someone's day. It just takes us being willing to go the extra mile and give a little. If we all did that a little more, I think the world would be a happier place.


Vanessa Daves is a recent college graduate and a RAKtivist who is spending three months traveling the world. Iris Telehealth is sponsoring her random acts of kindness throughout the summer in the places she travels. When she returns back to the United States in the fall, she will be marketing coordinator for Iris Telehealth. Learn more at iristelehealth.com/love.

2 Comments

FEBRUARY 22, 2018
I was raised to always give a tip to the person serving my food. Many of those people are struggle to get by when working the minimum wage of a waiter/delivery person/etc. I remember giving a $4 tip to a Chinese food delivery man. I saw him a few days later at a bus stop, and thanked me for it again. He said he had a rough day without any tips. The $4 though gave me enough gas for him to get home and for his wife to drive to work the next morning (who shared the same car). You never know what people are going through.

NOVEMBER 5, 2017
These comments has caused me to think differently about tipping. 1. Be LEAD by my Heart as to how much to give or tip 2. Your will tell you how much 3. The service or food doesn't have to be particularly good to give or tip I live I America. Thanks for sharing a different perspective!

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