Student travel
(BRUSSELS) – Around 20,000 18-year-olds are set to receive a travel pass under the fourth and latest round of DiscoverEU, the opportunity to explore Europe which attracted some 75,000 applications from across Europe.
These young Europeans, selected on the basis of established award criteria and specific Member State quotas, can travel between 1 April and 31 October 2020 for up to 30 days.
Successful applicants will now be contacted and can start arranging their trips.
As a rule, they travel by rail; however, to ensure inclusive access across the continent alternative modes of transport, such as buses, ferries, or exceptionally, planes, are also an option.
With the travel pass, participants also receive support and guidance on, for example, sustainable travel. The young people are aso invited to become a DiscoverEU Ambassador, and report on their experiences. They are also encouraged to contact fellow travellers on social media and share their stories.
All participants are invited to attend DiscoverEU meetups at various locations across Europe over the summer. Meetups deal with topics such as a sustainable green Europe -the DiscoverEU theme for 2020. Other activities include volunteering opportunities and the development of a green itinerary for the young travellers.
“Travelling through Europe and meeting young people from other countries enhances intercultural understanding, improves language skills and boosts self-confidence,” said Education Commissioner Mariya Gabriel: “Together with solidarity and volunteering activities, financed under the European Solidarity Corps, DiscoverEU is an invaluable initiative for informal learning.”
The Commission proposed in May 2018 to include DiscoverEU as an integral part of the future Erasmus programme for 2021-2027. Subject to agreement by the European Parliament and the Council, this would allow hundreds of thousands more 18 year-olds to benefit from the initiative over those seven years.
DiscoverEU - background guide
