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Imagine: bag on back, train window, scenery changing every hour. And the ticket? The European Union pays for it. That's DiscoverEU, the program that offers thousands of 18-year-old Europeans the opportunity to cross the continent virtually free of charge, mainly by train.
At a historic moment when young people are calling for more mobility, more sustainability and more real connections with the world, DiscoverEU is responding with something concrete: not a virtual voucher, not an app, but a physical, slow, human experience. The experience of getting on a train and discovering that Europe, seen from the ground, is far more interesting than it appears in school textbooks.
The basic idea is as simple as it is powerful: if you're 18 and live in one of the countries of the European Union (or one of the countries associated with Erasmus+), you can apply for a free rail pass to explore the continent. The pass covers the main train journeys (with possible reductions on other expenses), but above all it opens up a world to you: new cities, other languages, people you'd never have met otherwise.
Behind it all, there's a very clear vision: to strengthen the feeling of belonging to Europe, promote sustainable mobility and make the European Union tangible, not just a distant institution. Choosing to travel by train is not a detail: it's a statement. Travelling slowly, crossing borders without flying, reducing the environmental impact of tourism. It's another way of getting around the world, and one that DiscoverEU is already putting into practice.
Participating in DiscoverEU is quite simple: you have to be 18 years old at the start of the travel period, fill in the online application form with a valid identity document, be a citizen or resident of a European country, including overseas countries and territories, or be a citizen or resident of one of the countries associated with Erasmus+ (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey).
You must then take a selection quiz. For groups, the group leader fills in the form and answers the quiz and any subsidiary questions.
If you're selected, you'll receive a rail pass and a DiscoverEU European youth card, which gives you access to discounts on museums, cultural activities, sports, local transport, accommodation and restaurants. A small ecosystem of benefits designed to make travel truly accessible.
For this year, young people born between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 are eligible to apply.
Selection is made via the European Youth Portal, where applicants fill in the form and answer a short quiz. Two sessions are organized each year, one in spring and one in autumn.
The figures reveal success: according to the latest data from the Erasmus+ program, DiscoverEU participants report a significant increase in their sense of European identity, and in their transport-related environmental awareness. It's not just a trip: it's a change of perspective.
(©GreenMe.it 2026 / Managing Editor : Julie Morgan - The Press Junction / Picture : ©Unsplash)