In August 2022, just after turning nineteen, I boarded a train with nothing but a backpack, a mobile travel pass, and an entire continent ahead of me. For three weeks, I traveled across Europe alone, visiting thirteen cities in ten countries, sometimes only for a day. My ticket to ride was an Interrail pass I had won through the European Commission’s DiscoverEU program, a contest that gives eighteen-year-olds the chance to explore Europe by train for free. This program was launched in 2018 and is now part of the Erasmus+ program 2021-2027.
Interrail is a single pass that allows unlimited train travel across most of Europe, and in some cases ferries too. I learned about the program by chance while scrolling through travel accounts on social media, something I started doing during the pandemic. The rules to apply are simple: be eighteen, live in an Erasmus+ country, and answer a multiple-choice quiz about the European Union and its youth initiatives. There are quotas by nationality, and competition is fierce. I applied in October 2021 during my first semester at university, along with two friends. Three months later, in January 2022, I found out I’d been selected. I was eager to participate in the DiscoverEU initiative, and thrilled to be among the winners. The pass, worth 283€, covered all train travel, leaving me to pay only for seat reservations when necessary. With this pass, I could travel any time for one consecutive month between March 2022 and February 2023, but summer was the easiest option as I had more than a week free.
DiscoverEU offers two types of passes: a fixed one, which limits you to two countries (excluding your country of departure and those you simply pass through), and a flexible one, which allows you to travel on any seven days within a month to as many eligible countries as you like. Your journey must include at least one country other than your own. I chose flexibility. It was my first backpacking trip, and I wanted to make the most of it. As an added bonus, I also received a European Youth Card, which gave me discounts on cultural visits, local transport, and hostels.
One of the unexpected joys of the program was its community. Through the official Facebook group and the DiscoverEU online community, thousands of participants traded itineraries, hostel recommendations, and even met up on the road. I found many travel buddies through a French WhatsApp group, where people would post their locations and ask if anyone was in the same city. I created an Instagram account to document my trip, occasionally crossing paths with other DiscoverEU travelers, swapping tips, and sharing activities. I loved seeing so many young people enthusiastic about travelling and discovering the world.
In the end, I went alone. My friends and I couldn’t get time off at the same time because of internships and summer jobs, and I didn’t want to go at any other time of the year. It was my first time planning a trip entirely from scratch: budgeting, booking hostels (for the first time), and navigating foreign train websites in search of the “change language” button. I only told my parents about the trip at the last minute, after weeks of quietly researching routes through travel blogs, YouTube videos, TikTok, and Instagram. The Interrail app made things easier, allowing me to activate my pass and see most train schedules. Travelling solo, I preferred to plan my entire trip in advance and book seat reservations whenever possible.
Over three weeks, I moved from Venice to Vienna, then on to Villach and Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Dresden, Copenhagen, Malmö, Stockholm, and Cologne. Some stops were bucket-list cities I had dreamed of for years; others were affordable detours suggested by other travelers and I didn’t regret a single one. Slovenia was the biggest surprise, I knew nothing about the country before arriving, yet its mountains, lakes, and quiet charm made it one of my favorite destinations. This experience gave me a better understanding of other cultures and of European history.
The journey changed me. Traveling alone taught me independence, resilience, and the importance of speaking other languages, especially English, to connect with people from all over the world. It also gave me my first taste of large-scale sustainable travel, taking night trains, crossing borders by rail instead of air. I would never have done it at that age if I hadn’t won the pass, it’s a rare opportunity to travel at low cost. Thanks to DiscoverEU, I also discovered the European Youth Portal, which opened my eyes to other opportunities like the European Solidarity Corps. That trip is one of the reasons I’m in Macedonia today.
What I loved most were the small, unplanned moments: conversations with locals curious about my solo journey; the changing landscapes framed by train windows; the beauty of the trains themselves; and the incredible diversity of architecture in each city. I was struck by how many solo travelers there were, of all ages, and how easily we connected through shared trips.
Three years later, I still think about that month often. It was my first real taste of freedom, my first time traveling across Europe without family or a school trip, and the experience cemented my love for solo travel. It is different from going with friends or family: you decide your pace, your routes and you meet people along the way. Since then, I’ve wanted to travel even more and discover new cultures.
If you’re turning eighteen, don’t miss the DiscoverEU application rounds in spring and autumn. If you’ve never travelled alone, this is the perfect opportunity to try. You’ll spend little, learn a lot, and see more than you ever imagined. The ticket is free, but the memories, and the confidence you’ll gain, are priceless.
Camille Baudouin
Sources:
European Youth Portal – Announcement of DiscoverEU results
VOICES 
Leave a comment