Erasmus & study abroad
Erasmus is easier when you already know someone
The hardest week of an exchange is usually the first one: a new city, a new language and a room full of people who are all equally lost. Arriving with two or three conversations already going changes that week completely.
Before you go
Talk to people who are already there
Find students in your destination city a month or two before departure. Ask the questions the university handbook does not answer: which neighbourhood to avoid for rent, whether the bank account is worth the paperwork, how cold it actually gets, which supermarket is cheap. Start practising the local language at the same time — even survival-level phrases change your first week.
Your first weeks
Turn arrival into a smaller problem
Erasmus Student Network sections, buddy programmes and faculty groups are the official routes, and they work. The gap they leave is the quiet hours between events. That is where having a handful of people you already message makes the difference between exploring the city and staying in your room.
During the semester
Meet people outside the exchange bubble
Exchange students naturally cluster together and speak English with each other. It is comfortable and it is also how people finish a semester abroad without ever having a long conversation in the local language. Finding a few local contacts deliberately is the fix.
After you leave
Keep what you built
Most exchange friendships fade in the three months after everyone flies home. Shared posts, a globe that shows where everyone ended up and a chat that stays open make it much more likely that "come visit" turns into an actual visit.
Practical things worth doing early
- Ask about housing before you sign anything. Students already in the city know which agencies and neighbourhoods to avoid, and that knowledge rarely reaches official channels.
- Learn thirty phrases, not thirty rules. Ordering, apologising, asking for directions and understanding a refusal will carry you further than a grammar chapter.
- Find one local contact, not only exchange students. One local friend produces more language practice than ten international housemates.
- Say yes in the first two weeks. Social groups form fast and then close. The invitations you accept early determine your semester.
- Write down what you would tell the next person. You will be the one already there for someone else in six months.
Not on Erasmus?
The same pattern works for any move abroad — a traineeship, a working holiday, a volunteering project, a semester on any other exchange programme, or simply relocating for work. If your reason for going is travel rather than study, the travel chat guide covers the shorter version of the same idea, and how it works explains the app itself in five steps.
Common questions
Is WorldlyChat only for Erasmus students?
No. Erasmus and study abroad students are a large part of the community, but the app is open to anyone travelling, moving abroad or learning a language.
Can I find students in a specific city before I move there?
You can search for people by country and browse profiles, including the journeys they have added to their globe, then send a message request.
Is it connected to ESN or my university?
No. WorldlyChat is an independent project and is not affiliated with the Erasmus programme, ESN or any university. It works alongside them, not instead of them.
Does it cost anything?
No. It is free, with no premium tier.
Can I use it to practise the local language before I arrive?
Yes, and it is one of the most useful things you can do. See the guide to language exchange for how to set that up.
Land somewhere new already knowing people
Find students and locals in your destination city before your flight.
Open WorldlyChat