The Kind Blog

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.