Traveling is one of the great pleasures in life and, if you are between 18 and 20 years old, you can do it for free in Europe thanks to the DiscoverEU initiative that the European Commission has launched . The deadline for submitting applications will be open until October 26 at 12:00. The trips can begin to be enjoyed in 2022, the European Year of Youth.
Requirements for free travel in Europe
It is a program specifically aimed at young Europeans born between July 1, 2011 and December 31, 2003 . Exceptionally, 19 and 20-year-olds can also apply as the rounds of applications addressed to them were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 60,000 selected candidates will have the opportunity to travel for 30 days between March 2022 and 2023 . As of today, nobody knows what the health situation will be by then, so all travelers can make flexible reservations, in such a way that the start date can be modified up to one hour before the departure time.
Young people with special needs can also participate . The European Commission will put at your disposal advice and information, and will cover the expenses derived from the special assistance: a companion, a guide dog …
They want to promote sustainable travel, so the candidates selected by the DiscoverEU program will mainly travel by train, although they will also be able to use other means of transport such as the ferry, the bus or, exceptionally, the plane.
How to apply
DiscoverEU is an initiative that the European Commission launched in 2018 . Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 350,000 people applied for one of the 70,000 travel vouchers that were available. For most it was quite an experience since it was the first that they traveled by train to foreign countries and, in addition, they did it without their parents.
When completing the application, interested candidates have to fill out a multiple choice questionnaire on general EU knowledge . In addition, they must answer the question of how many people they think are participating in this edition. The closer the estimate is to the correct answer, the more points will be awarded to the candidates. In this way, the Commission will make a classification once the submission period ends.
