Down on the farm: How DiscoverEU gave one traveller the social confidence she needed

When Estonian traveller Karolin Eks found out she had been awarded a DiscoverEU pass, the thought of travelling across Europe terrified her. “I was so scared – even though I knew it would only be a month,” she said. But after volunteering to work on an Italian farm during her trip, Karolin’s nerves soon faded and she gained both confidence and valuable social skills.

“We mostly did forest clearing because they wanted to build a camping site there. When it was raining, we did some house chores,” explained Karolin. “For that, we got to eat 3 times per day, plus fresh snacks – fruit and veggies – because they grew as much food as they could.” 

Through her experience, Karolin found that she could relate to people more easily. “It taught me that when you find the right people, it doesn’t matter where you come from, living together and working towards the same cause will make you a family very quickly,” she said. “It was amazing for me to understand that I don’t have a barrier – I can connect with people closely.”

For Karolin, the experience has had a lasting impact. “I brought that confidence in myself back home. I feel like I can handle things now – every kind of situation.” She is currently planning to live and work in Australia and credits DiscoverEU for transforming her outlook. “I feel super confident – I’m at peace with everything. DiscoverEU helped me a lot.”
 

Updated on Tirsdag, 17/02/2026