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Big Kids

10th May 2019

Have you got an 18 year old? They could be entitled to travel Europe for free

Melissa Carton

If you’ve got an 18-year-old travel bug at home, tell them to pack their bags.

DiscoverEU, an initiative of the European Union will be providing free travel for around 12,000 young people this summer.

The pass will allow your teenager to inter rail across Europe completely free of charge!

Not only will they get to travel by train and take in some spectacular scenery, the travel pass will also offer alternatives such as buses or ferries.

In some cases when no other transport is available your pass will even permit you to travel by plane, lucky duck.

This will ensure that young people living in remote areas or on islands will also have a chance to take part, so if you live on Arranmore don’t worry they’ve got you covered.

I went interrailing when I was 19 and can not recommend it enough to young people finishing school.

From the fries and chocolate museums in Bruges to staying in the self-proclaimed worst hostel in Amsterdam, it was an adventure I won’t forget.

I wish the free travel pass was available when I was a school leaver and I would tell any teen eligible to get on it like a car bonnet.

So who can apply and how?

The travel pass is free for all teens who are 18 years old this summer (those young people born between July 2, 2000, and July 1, 2001 ) and have the nationality of one of the 28 Member States of the European Union.

The application round is now open online but closes on 12.00 CEST on May 16 and your child can apply through the European Youth Portal website.

Successful applicants will be able to travel for up to 30 days from this August until January 2020, so your teen can fill their summer full of memories before heading into their first year of college or travel during the Christmas break.

This is such a brilliant initiative that all 18-year-olds should take advantage of.

I wonder if there’s any chance I could convince them I was born in 2000.