In the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), you buy the flight ticket after the visa is issued and the host organisation reimburses it during the project; some organisations buy the ticket themselves and tell you in advance. Before buying, email the route, date, time and price to the host organisation and get its approval (this is required). Our guide on what the European Solidarity Corps is explains the programme, and our guide on how travel distance bands work explains the amounts.
Last updated: November 2026.
Do you buy the ticket yourself or does the organisation book it?
In ESC projects, you buy the ticket after the visa is issued and the host organisation reimburses it during the project; some organisations buy the ticket themselves and tell you in advance. In Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects, participants usually buy their own ticket first and the organisation reimburses them afterwards; for participants with limited financial means, organisations can also support them, so this should be agreed with the sending and host organisations before buying. Our guide on the supporting organisation explains who the sending organisation is.
When can you buy your plane ticket?
Never buy your plane ticket before the visa is issued. You buy the ticket after the visa is issued. Applying late rarely works: if a project starts in June, applying in May is almost useless, because the host organisation has to allow for your visa process, which can take weeks. Our guide on visas and residence permits covers the visa step, and the timeline from application to departure shows where the ticket sits in the process.
What do you have to do before you buy the ticket?
Before buying, these are the steps to take with your host organisation:
✅ Approval: email the route, date, time and price to the host organisation and get its approval (this is required).
💶 Travel budget: learn your travel budget from the volunteering agreement or the host organisation; if the ticket costs more than the limit, it may not be fully reimbursed.
📅 Travel costs: when travel costs are reimbursed differs from project to project; it should be written in the info pack, and if it is not, you must clarify it with the organisation before the project.
🌱 Green travel: green travel must be agreed with the organisation before you buy tickets.
Our guide on the volunteering agreement explains the document where your travel budget is written.
How much of the ticket price do you get back?
If the ticket costs more than the travel distance band amount, the participant pays the difference; if it costs less, the remaining amount stays with the organisation. The ESC travel contribution is a contribution to your travel costs from your place of origin to the venue of the activity and return. There is no travel support for going home and coming back during the project. Our guide on how travel distance bands work lists the amounts for each distance.
Which documents do you keep and send?
To receive the travel contribution, you give the host organisation proof after the journey: tickets, invoices or boarding passes. Send the flight invoice to both the host and the sending organisation; a bank receipt or payment confirmation is not an invoice. The organisation enters the documents and distances in the ESC reporting tool, which calculates the contribution. Missing tickets or invoices mean the contribution may not be paid in full. Our guide on the volunteering agreement explains what the agreement says about travel.
Are baggage fees and airport transfers covered?
Baggage fees are part of the ticket cost and are reimbursed within the travel limits; for any extra cost, get the organisation's approval first. Transfer from the airport to the project town is part of the travel costs and is reimbursed within the travel limits. Other journeys (train, bus) are paid by the volunteer, the original tickets are kept and handed to the host organisation, and the costs are reimbursed. Our guide on the hidden costs of a fully funded project explains what you pay first, and packing essentials for your ESC journey helps you prepare your baggage.
What changes if you travel green instead of flying?
Green travel uses low-emissions means of transport such as bus, train, bike or car-pooling for at least half of the round trip; traveling by boat is green travel if combined with another low-emissions means of transport. The green travel top-up belongs to the participant. For green travel, all tickets and invoices are needed as proof. Green travel must be agreed with the organisation before you buy tickets. The extra days of green travel are extra days of daily support, so after the organisation approves your travel plan, you can ask it to cover accommodation, food and drink on the way. Our guide on green travel in Erasmus+ and ESC explains the green option in detail.
What happens if your flight is cancelled, your dates change or your visa is refused?
For cancellations, date changes or visa refusals, you should check the situation in your volunteering agreement; organisations generally hold participants responsible for the process. If the visa is refused, you cannot take part; you can talk to the organisation and apply again, or apply to a new project. In practice the support (sending) organisation is the organisation that speaks your language and knows the situation in your country when something goes wrong abroad: a visa refusal, a cancelled flight, a family emergency or a disagreement with the host organisation. Our guide on the volunteering agreement explains what the agreement covers, and the supporting organisation explains how the sending organisation helps you.
When does the ticket money come back?
When travel costs are reimbursed differs from project to project; it should be written in the info pack, and if it is not, you must clarify it with the organisation before the project. Projects funded in earlier years may have different travel limits, so ask the host and sending organisations which limits apply to your project before you travel. Our guide on how travel distance bands work explains the limits.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy your ticket before the visa is issued?
No: never buy your plane ticket before the visa is issued. Our guide on visas and residence permits covers the visa step.
Is a bank receipt enough as proof?
No: send the flight invoice to both the host and the sending organisation; a bank receipt or payment confirmation is not an invoice. Our guide on how travel distance bands work explains how the travel contribution is calculated.
Do you have to buy the return ticket together with the outward ticket?
No: the return ticket does not have to be bought together with the outward ticket; in short-term activities it is usually bought together. Our guide on the timeline from application to departure shows the steps before you leave.
Can you get travel money to visit home during the project?
No: there is no travel support for going home and coming back during the project. The ESC travel contribution is a contribution to your travel costs from your place of origin to the venue of the activity and return. Our guide on travelling during your project explains trips on weekends and days off.
Is it the same in Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges and training courses?
Yes: in Erasmus+ projects, participants usually buy their own ticket first and the organisation reimburses them afterwards, and when travel costs are reimbursed should be written in the info pack. Our guide on Youth Exchanges explains that activity, and training courses explains the other.
Where to go next
Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you; using Match requires an account on the site, and signing up with Google is available but not required. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
