Born from Erasmus Nostalgia
How two ex-flatmates from Bratislava turned post-Erasmus depression into a travel community.
It started with a feeling every Erasmus student knows too well. That moment when you land back home and realize: nothing feels the same anymore. You have changed. You have seen how big the world is, how easy it is to connect with people from different cultures, how exciting it is to discover a city from the inside. And now? Now you are back to your old routine, scrolling through WhatsApp groups full of memories, wondering if you will ever feel that way again.
That is exactly what happened to us. Lorenzo and Valerio met as flatmates during Erasmus in Bratislava in 2018. For months, we lived the classic Erasmus life: international dinners, spontaneous road trips, late-night conversations in five languages, and friendships that crossed every border. When it was over, we went back to Italy carrying something heavy: the nostalgia of a life that felt more alive than anything before.
In the years that followed, we tried to recreate that feeling. Reunions with old Erasmus friends, language exchange events, trips together. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. But in April 2025, during a reunion in Bratislava with old Turkish, Finnish, Hungarian, and Slovak friends, something clicked. Sitting in a cafe downtown — the same one we used to go to during Erasmus — the idea was born: what if we could create mini-Erasmus experiences for anyone who misses that feeling?
That morning, Localizing was born. Not as a travel agency, but as a community. A way to bring back the international atmosphere, the local experiences, and the genuine human connections that made Erasmus so special — in a format that fits adult life: weekend trips, small international groups, guided by someone who actually lives there.
The Founders
Valerio Meola
Co-founder & Marketing
Erasmus in Bratislava (2018). Born in Benevento, Italy. After years of post-Erasmus nostalgia, he channeled it into building Localizing. When he is not planning the next trip, he is probably making espresso and thinking about how to bring more people together.
Lorenzo Martinelli
Co-founder & Community
Erasmus in Bratislava (2018). Lives in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The social engine of Localizing — he knows how to make a group of strangers feel like old friends in under an hour. He has friends in every European city.
Our Mission
We believe the Erasmus experience should not end with graduation. Localizing exists to give anyone — whether you did Erasmus or not — the chance to travel in a truly international way: small groups, real connections, local immersion. No tourist traps, no generic tours. Just the feeling of being part of something bigger than a holiday.
Want to Be Part of the Story?
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