A recipe for an unforgettable adventure

If there's one thing I recommend, it's to broaden your horizons and go travelling in Europe. I had no idea what a big impact the sudden decision to apply for DiscoverEU would have on the following year. It wasn't until we were selected and suddenly the decision was made, my friends and I would all do a gap year after graduation and head to the mainland in September!

We decided to fly out to Athens and then home from Munich, and then the rest was to be pieced together as it got closer. A few weeks later, we went over our plans and then things got a bit complicated... There were almost no trains leaving Greece. But we were resourceful 18-year-old ladies, so we soon had a new plan: we were going to sail over to Italy! In retrospect, I think the sailing was the biggest challenge of the trip, and the 10-hour Superfast ferry was very cold! I would recommend people to bring a warm sleeping bag for that!

The entire trip was great fun and we have certainly added to our memory bank. We stayed in hostels and were able to use Airbnb (absolute genius if it comes with a washing machine) and managed to set foot in 12 cities in 23 days! We are undeniably more experienced after this trip, we got to know a diverse culture, new people and great food. I've also become very fond of trains; they definitely beat aeroplanes as a way of travelling.

Regardless of which cities are chosen and whether people choose to travel alone or in a group, I can confirm that DiscoverEU is in every way a recipe for an unforgettable adventure.

Updated on Tuesday, 17/02/2026