DiscoverEU is an initiative of the European Union to give  20,000 young people the opportunity to travel around Europe in the year they turn 18, in the hope to enable them to better understand Europe's diversity, enjoy its cultural richness, make new friends and get a sense of their European identity. EFA was approached to activate its members to invite some young travelers to attend their festivals. Many EFA members are engaged to welcome them, such as Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh International Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival and many more.

The first 15,000 recipients are now on the road. They will be travelling, either alone or in groups of a maximum of five people, for up to 30 days, visiting between one and four European destinations outside their home country. All trips will start between 9 July and 30 September 2018. As a general rule, the young people will be travelling by rail, with alternative modes of transport used in exceptional cases.

The European Commission would like to hear from the young travelers and will encourage them to share their experiences and adventures as ambassadors of the initiative. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter under the #DiscoverEU and on the European Youth website.

Do you want to invite DiscoverEU travellers or give them a discount on festival tickets? Fill in this form and the European Commission team will contact you directly.

Read ahead for more background of the initiative.