The Interrail is almost a right of passage for posh kids who have just turned 18 and can afford to spend four weeks travelling some of the most expensive cities in Europe.
They’ll go away and come back with tales of hostel horrors, cheap beer and incredible culture that do admittedly leave you feeling jealous.
The passes cost as much as £440 for one month, which means some people can’t even think about getting abroad and seeing Europe, but not for long for some lucky young folk.
The EU has announced that it is planning to give out 30,000 passes for free to people who are turning 18 this year, according to iNews.
The pass allows holders to travel through 30 countries across 15 days of travel throughout the month.
It’s set to cost the EU €12 million, and the folks in Brussels hope it will instil a sense of European pride in the young population.
They also reportedly hope that using sponsorships and partnerships, they will be able to offer more passes in the coming years.
The scheme is set to run until at least 2020, but with the UK leaving the EU next year, it is currently thought that 2018 is the only year lucky 18-year-olds can take advantage of the deal.
Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said:
It is important that we offer all our young people the opportunity to broaden their horizons by experiencing other countries.
Education is not only about what we learn in the classroom, but what we discover about the cultures and traditions of our fellow Europeans.
Interrail was launched in 1972, when young people needed to only pay £27.50, and by the mid-80s, more than 250,000 passes were sold every year.
As a result of cheaper flights to places like south-east Asia, it’s now much cheaper to head further afield than Europe.
But all that might change with this new scheme. Incredible.
If you want to know where you can head with the pass, here are all the countries involved:
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Luxembourg
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Ireland
FYR Macedonia
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
Sweden
Turkey
