By train across Europe
DiscoverEU is an Erasmus+ event where young Europeans can explore the diversity of their continent, learn more about cultural heritage and meet their peers.
The system is simple. Any resident of an EU Member State or one of the third countries associated with the Erasmus+ programme who is 18 years old can apply for a free travel pass. They can use it to travel across European countries for a period of one to thirty days.
Applications are submitted twice a year – in the spring and in the fall. Applications should be tracked on this page .
Submitting an application is not a guarantee of success
To be included in the program, a person must fill out an application and a quiz about the European Union. However, this does not automatically guarantee that the applicant will receive a free travel ticket. The EU allocates a certain number of travel tickets to each country based on the number of inhabitants. If there are more successful applicants than tickets, the results of the quiz decide.
This year, up to 36,000 young Europeans enjoyed free travel. Over the entire duration of the programme, since 2018, the EU has distributed up to 355,000 tickets.
Where can young people travel?
Anyone who receives a free travel ticket can choose which countries they want to visit. However, there are also recommended routes on offer. For example, the New European Bauhaus Route , which passes through modern and sustainable metropolises.
New European Bauhaus Route, source: youth.europa.eu
Or they can choose the Green Route , which leads through the most ecological cities. This route includes places awarded the title of Green Capital or Green Leaf, as well as beautiful parks and nature reserves. Along the way, participants can also use a discount card with thousands of benefits on transport, museums, food, accommodation, sports and many other services in 36 countries.
Green Routes, source: European Commission
Lenka and Laura’s journey
Among this year’s participants were Lenka and Laura from Bratislava.
Both went on a train adventure in the summer. Lenka and her friend traveled through the Scandinavian countries, and Laura and her friend traveled through Austria to Switzerland and then to Italy.
Lenka and her friend were joined by other friends along the way. Source: Lenka’s personal archive
“I’ve traveled alone a few times in the past, but this was something completely different. We traveled for two weeks and were constantly moving. Every day we had to pack up and move to a different place, get everything ready there. If we hadn’t won those travel tickets, I probably wouldn’t have decided to go on such a trip,” Lenka says of her experience.
Laura mentions that when traveling, a person tests their language skills and how to cope in more challenging situations: “We don’t speak German or Italian, but English was enough for us. We really practiced it during the trip. At every station, we got used to asking people where we could put our things away, or we asked about the route or other practical things.”
Laura and her friend traveled through Switzerland and Italy. Source: Laura’s personal archive
Lenka was especially looking forward to Copenhagen, as she had never been there before. “Everything there was so nice and sleek. My friend and I were saying that it looked like it was in a simulation. Everything worked perfectly and looked like it was from Pinterest,” says Lenka. They were also surprised by Tallinn, where they especially liked the calm and safe atmosphere and the port they visited.
Lenka liked Copenhagen the most. Source: Lenka’s personal archive
“We liked all the cities we visited. But the most beautiful was Switzerland, Zurich is truly beautiful,” Laura shares her experience.
Laure and her friend were enchanted by Switzerland. Source: Laura’s personal archive
Finally, she adds that she would recommend traveling with DiscoverEU to anyone her age: “You really see a lot of different places in a short time. You just put a backpack on your back and you just go and it’s such a new experience.”
We have also prepared video reports about traveling within DiscoverEU. You can find the video about Lenka’s and Laura’s journeys under this article.