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Travel experts warn against one tipping habit while visiting popular vacation spots

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For American travelers, tipping may feel second nature — but in Europe, that instinct can backfire.

While navigating new currencies and customs, small gestures like leaving loose change on the table may not translate well, travel expert Rick Steves warns.

“You’re just raising the bar and messing up the local balance,” Steves wrote in a blog post. “And it’s bad style.”

And in busy settings, “the wrong party might pocket the change,” Steves warned.

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In countries like Germany, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, plus parts of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, tipping with coins can even be perceived as rude, according to Mashed.

The expectation differs from the U.S., where servers often rely on tips to supplement low base wages — a dynamic that, along with constant digital tipping prompts, has fueled growing frustration. Nearly nine in 10 Americans say tipping culture is “out of control,” Fox News Digital recently reported.

But in Europe, where servers are paid a living wage, tipping is not a necessity and handing over a handful of small coins may come across as dismissive.

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“It is not always the amount alone that shapes the impression,” said LaDell Carter, founding partner of Royal Expression Travels in Maryland. “It is the presentation and the intention behind it,” she told Fox News Digital.

Carter added that in more refined settings, particularly, scattered coins can feel like an afterthought.

That doesn’t mean travelers should abandon tipping altogether.

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Steves advises a simple, face-to-face approach that is especially appropriate in Germanic countries, where leaving coins behind is frowned upon. When settling a 10-euro bill with a 20-euro note, say “Eleven, please,” signaling the server to keep 1 euro as a tip and return the rest in change.

When percentages are used, they’re modest by American standards. Around 5% is considered adequate, while 10% is generous, according to Steves. In fact, tipping 15% to 20% can be seen as excessive. “Resist the urge to tip American-style,” he advises.

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Payment method also matters. While card payments are widely accepted, tips are often best given in cash to ensure they go directly to the server, as some businesses may not pass along card-based gratuities in full.

Steves also recommends skipping tips at casual counter-service spots, rounding up taxi fares and giving small tips to guides and hotel staff.

It’s important to keep in mind that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work in Europe, said Steve Schwab, Arizona-based CEO of Casago, a vacation rental and property management company.

“It can vary from one country to the next, so we can’t exactly generalize it as ‘European tipping culture,'” Schwab told Fox News Digital.

“In general, the Nordic countries are the ones where tipping is least expected, largely because they are known for paying high wages and/or including service charges in their bills already,” he added.

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Experts also recommend reviewing the bill carefully, checking for built-in service charges and observing local customs before deciding what to leave. When it doubt, don’t be afraid to ask the locals for country-specific norms.

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Trump greeted at UFC 327 in first sporting event appearance since start of Iran war

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President Donald Trump was greeted by a packed crowd at UFC 327 in Miami Saturday night during the president’s first appearance at a sporting event since the start of the Iran war. Fans in attendance erupted into raucous applause as Trump walked into the venue. 

Trump made his way out with UFC CEO and president Dana White and went around to the announcers and had an exchange with Joe Rogan, who was sitting at the announcers’ table. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was standing nearby the seats right before Trump walked out, then leaned in to Trump and started whispering very closely to the president, cupping his hands over his mouth and they each exchanged a few words. Trump then turned around, pumping his fist to those sitting behind him, smiling and waving, then pointed a few times to the crowd. 

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Trump has been a frequent fixture at UFC and other combat sports events during his presidency, during his 2024 campaign and even dating back to his first term.

In 2025, Trump attended UFC 316 and Miami fight night. In 2024, he attended UFC 302 in June and UFC 309 in November.

In 2019, he attended UFC 244.

Before Saturday, the last major sporting event Trump attended was the College Football Playoff national championship game between Indiana and Miami at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19.

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Trump was notably absent from this year’s Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics in Italy and didn’t attend any other events after the Iran war broke out.

But after Tuesday’s ceasefire agreement, Trump has returned to sport. Trump addressed the ongoing situation with Iran at the White House before departing for Joint Base Andrews to travel to Miami for the UFC event.

“We’re in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We’ve defeated them militarily,” Trump told reporters. “Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. And the reason is because we’ve won, whether you listen to the fake news or not.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Heather Graham says classmates dismissed her as ‘nerdy’ before Hollywood breakthrough proved them wrong

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Before Hollywood came calling, Heather Graham said, she was dismissed as a “nerdy” teenager.

The actress recalled being underestimated in high school before landing the popular cheerleader role in “License to Drive,” a turning point she described as a “huge moment” that launched her independence and her career.

“I was nerdy. … You know, I was smart, and I was just, like, nobody thought I was that pretty,” Graham recalled during an episode of “Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson.” 

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“So, I got this job as, like, the popular, pretty cheerleader, and I had very bad style and bad hair and makeup. Like, I did not know how to, like, do that. And then people were like, ‘Oh?’

“[The movie] came out right as I was graduating,” Graham added. “And I think people were like, ‘Well, maybe we should have paid attention to her.'”

Graham revealed landing the iconic role as Mercedes Lane in “License to Drive” was a “huge moment” for her at 17.

“It was huge for me. Like, that was a huge moment,” she explained. “I got to make money. I was independent. I had a bank account, you know, and I could live on my own.”

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Graham began her career with small roles in commercials and TV before landing teen films such as “Drugstore Cowboy” and “Swingers.”

She got her breakthrough with “Boogie Nights,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Bowfinger.”

Graham landed a role in the blockbuster film “The Hangover” in 2009. She has since continued acting in films and TV while also expanding into writing and directing projects.

Her latest film, “They Will Kill You,” hit theaters March 27.

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The 56-year-old actress shared some of her beauty secrets in a recent interview with Us Weekly.

Graham claimed she’s “never had an actual operation where they’re cutting my face open.” But she said she has tried a series of other methods, including “microneedling, Botox … and a bunch of lasery things.”

“Some of those laser treatments are torture,” she said. “Like, an hour and a half of your face getting blasted.”

The movie star’s goal is to stay away from invasive plastic surgery because she doesn’t “want to look freaky,” and her “goal is to look natural.”

“I feel like some people get facelifts and they just kind of end up looking like … I mean, there are people that get it, and it’s good. But I just don’t want to be one of those people that got it and look freaky,” she said. “But I don’t know if [when] I got older, I wouldn’t completely rule out. Who knows, in the future.”

Graham also tries to maintain a balanced diet and get 10 to 11 hours of sleep. She said she uses yoga as a way to stay in shape and manage stress, calling it “so cathartic.”

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Seven-foot statue unveiled honoring Magawa, award-winning rat who found more than 100 landmines in Cambodia

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A landmine-sniffing rat who won a gold medal for “life-saving devotion to duty” in Cambodia has been honored with a massive stone statue.

Magawa, a rat who gained fame in the country for sniffing out more than 100 mines (more than 1.5 million square feet) in his five-year career — more than any other rat in the country — retired in 2021 and died at age 8 in 2022.

The African giant pouched rat was trained by the Belgian charity APOPO to use his keen sense of smell to sniff out landmines and other explosives.

In Cambodia, more than 1 million people live and work in areas dotted with landmines, according to BBC News.

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In 2020, Magawa received the PDSA Dickin medal for gallantry, which recognizes heroism in animals.

He was the first rat in the organization’s history going back to 1943 to win the award.

Magawa was able to walk over areas with land mines safely because of his light weight and would alert his handlers to a mine by scratching the surface, according to Smithsonian magazine. He would then receive a treat.

“During his career, Magawa found over 100 landmines and other explosives, making him APOPO’s most successful HeroRAT to date,” the organization said in 2022, while announcing his death. “His contribution allows communities in Cambodia to live, work and play without fear of losing life or limb.”

Cambodia has the highest rate of landmine amputees per capita of any country.

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APOPO added, “Every discovery he made reduced the risk of injury or death for the people of Cambodia.”

The statue was unveiled in Siem Reap, Cambodia, April 3, just in time for International Day for Mine Awareness April 4.

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