General Information
Languages- English (United Kingdom)Expert
- FinnishExpert
- GermanBeginner
- Swedish (Finland)Beginner
Groups I Belong ToCouch Information
No couch currently available for surfing.  Away from mid-November until mid-December.
Living alone, working Mondays to Fridays, no pets, no smoking.
There's an extra mattress and a couch, blankets and bedding, no fancy spare bedrooms but the living room is all yours. Naturally you can use the kitchen, washing machine, shower, internet etc. Some minor traffic noise and no tv or landline phone, sorry.
My home is in a part of town called Käpylä, about 5 km (15 minutes by bus) north of the city centre, in the direction of the airport (less than half an hour from the airport). It's a residential area, some small stores within walking distance, the houses were originally built for the 1940 Olympic games. There is free roadside parking if you happen to have a car - I don't.
If you request a couch, please put some effort into it, try making it personal - a basic "hi there, can i crash on your couch? cheers" won't do it. Saying you're crazy won't help either. Thank you.
For information on Helsinki have a look at the Helsinki page on CS wiki. Friends (82)
Nina Talvela 29, Female Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since January 2001 "We have been friends quite a long time." Friendship Type: 6 - Close Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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Hanna Ristisuo 30, Female Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since October 1998 "We (also) met at the roleplaying club of the unversity in 1998. We even lived in the same flat with three other friends for 2,5 years." Friendship Type: 6 - Close Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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Mikko Heimola 29, Male Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since September 1998 "Drink beer together several times a month, hang out at IRC, go to gigs..." Friendship Type: 6 - Close Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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MINSKI&MIO 31, Several people Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since August 2006 "We have been meeting couble of times in Helsinki with other surfers" Friendship Type: 4 - Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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Veli-Pekka Kestilä 31, Male Espoo, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since September 1998 "From university." Friendship Type: 4 - Friend
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OGONEKORAMA 30, Several people Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Russia Friends since July 2006 "Couchsurfed with him, and now we are friends" Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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Sampo Smolander 32, Male Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since May 2006 "Here in Helsinki we tend to know each other" Friendship Type: 4 - Friend I vouched for Daniel Davis
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Suvi Korhonen 28, Female Helsinki, Etela-Suomen Laani Finland Friends since August 1998 "Through hobbies and common friends." Friendship Type: 4 - Friend
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Sathish Kris 29, Male Bangalore, Karnataka India Friends since March 2007 "CS" Friendship Type: 3 - CouchSurfing Friend
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JUBAL 26, Male Missoula, Montana United States Friends since July 2007 "Couchsurfed at his flat in Helsinki. Great example of Finnish hospitality." Friendship Type: 3 - CouchSurfing Friend
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Personal DescriptionI'm mostly Finnish, somewhat English and my grandma was Irish. What does that make me? I work five days a week, eight hours a day, and when I have the time I study at the university; I've studied social psychology, philosophy and computer science in addition to some other subjects. I like exploring new territory.
Read the references I've received, there's probably something there both in writing and between the lines.How I Participate in CS2I participate in various ways, mostly I host and meet people.CouchSurfing ExperienceFirst it was relatives I'd never seen and friends of friends, I've also used other similar services and sites on the net before finding Couchsurfing. Of the 76 people on my Friends list, I've ...
... originally met in real life, outside of CS: 8
... hosted: 32
... been hosted by: 9InterestsPeople, movies, cycling, volleyball, games, talking. How the world and people function, cultural issues and urban legends. Things I'm not yet familiar with. Everything.PhilosophySomething to do with respect, I think. Philosophy is fascinating.
The important question: if electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?Music, Movies, BooksYes please! I visit all the local film festivals and some further away too, try to get to know new bands and artists, carry a book or two with me while traveling, and love the obscure.
My tiny DVD collection includes the following titles: Barbarella, Being John Malkovich, Coffee and Cigarettes, Kontroll, La cité des enfants perdus (The City of Lost Children), Lilja 4-ever, Shaolin Soccer and Temporada de patos (Duck Season).
If you're visiting Helsinki and you're interested in live music or cinema, I should be able to give you some tips on what's going on and where. I'm definitely more into oddities from around the world and the rock scene than partying and dancing.Types of People I enjoyPeople are fun, I enjoy them. Fascinating.Teach, Learn, ShareTeaching is fun, learning is even better. Tell me something and ask me anything.One Amazing Thing I've Seen or DoneBored by my previous list of amazing stuff, here's one thing instead of a whole compilation:
- Seen the first outdoor round of Miss Rural Zimbabwe, a beauty contest for all the beautiful young village girls in their traditional dresses, some of them bare-breasted.Opinion on the CouchSurfing.com ProjectGood stuff, the concept behind both Couchsurfing and the other similar sites is great. Compared to the other sites Couchsurfing does look more attractive.
I have some issues with the way the site is run, especially the lack of transparency and two-way communication - it's not as volunteer-friendly as it could and should be.
Verification: It does a poor job of verifying your identity and the $25 requested is unreasonable, pay up only if you're happy handing out money to companies you do business with. I recommend you spend the first $25 on guests and gifts, maybe buying a spare mattress or whatever.Locations TraveledTRAVELED: Guyana, India, Liechtenstein, Moldova, New Zealand, Zimbabwe LIVED: Finland, United Kingdom WANTS TO GO: Ireland (Republic of), Malawi, Nauru, North Korea, Pitcairn Islands IS GOING TO: Oman, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom References
From Amandine Erktan Aix-en-Provence, France Aug 10 Positive Daniel is a quite, nice and relax personn. He took time to soak us into finnish culture. Thank you again.
From Tuula Närkki Kylmakoski, Finland Jul 21 Positive I attended the CS hiking trip organized by Daniel in Nuuksio national park. Daniel had ordered the perfect weather for us! :-) Friendly person, very active.
From Marisa Domingos Alfornelos, Portugal Jun 20 Positive Daniel was the greatest first CS host that I could ever wished for! He is an amazing guy, with lots of good stories to tell. I really feel lucky for having met him, he was so nice, showed me Helsinki and helped me a lot. We even went to an open door music festival (the songs were all in Finnish, but I still had a great time! :) )
Thanks for everything, Daniel! Hope you can find a cheap flight to Portugal someday:)
From Andrew Judkins Villa Colon, Costa Rica Jun 5 Positive Daniel is unique cat, very much in tune with the spirit of travel! His travel style is interesting and entertaining as is his character! He's a great guy to be around!
From Jennifer Nelson Balti, Moldova May 26 Positive Daniel was great fun. He was so adventurous to come only to Moldova. And he brought me delicious chocolate.
From Jolanta Vilnius, Lithuania May 25 Positive Daniel was very not-complicated guest, polite, attentive. Also he wrote very nice and respectful requests for a couch what I appreciate very much!
He stopped in Vilnius for a short time on the way to home but was curious to discover it. I hope he will be back soon.
From Natalia Gligor Chisinau, Moldova May 23 Positive Daniel is a nice, decent, interesting and safe :) guest. Interested in Moldovan history, rock music and documentaries. Had some good time drinking tea and talking late at night! He didn't had luck crossing Transnistrian border, but still i hope he enjoyed Moldova!
From Nina Edwards Syracuse, United States May 13 Positive I met Daniel in the capital and we travled up north together to Pepeni. We walked about my village before sharing a meal and some conversation. He then left bright and early the next morning for Balti. He was an easy person to host.
From JUBAL Missoula, United States Apr 1 Positive Though we did not have much time, Daniel did all that he could to ensure we had a good time and were comfortable. His flat was nice and right on a major bus route.
From Mert ÜSTÜNKAYA Istanbul, Turkey Mar 24 Positive If someone thinks that finnish people don't speak and are cold people. I suggest you Daniel. He has good conversation including phrases to motivate people like
"GO TURKEY!" :)
I had such a good night with these people starting in a jazz club then going on in a metal club and finishing in the snow of Helsinki.
From POWERBOY3 London, United Kingdom Feb 23 Positive A Finnish Ambassador to be proud of. Daniel came along to my party on New years eve along with another couchsurfer. From what I saw Daniel was all over the place. In the kichen, the living room and even in the bedroom playing buzz. Easy going guy and I can only imagine it would be amazing to stay with this guy (he has been sand boarding)!!! I dont even know what that is!
From Wile E Helsinki, Finland Jan 6 Positive Met out at a CS meeting and ended up going out for drinks afterwards. Really enjoyed speaking with on subjects ranging from politics to jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. I look forward to grabbing a few beers with Daniel here in Helsinki before I depart.
From Tom Asten Bonn, Germany Jan 3 Positive Daniel was hosted by the same host like me and my friend in London. We walked together through London and the area where our host lived. We had a good chat and several discussions about politics and British behaviour and traditions.
From Cedrick M. Tevreden Paramaribo, Suriname Jan 2 Positive a friend from Finland the countrie of nokia,thanks to him i came to know moree about Finland and that part of Europe,
From DIANNA Georgetown, Guyana Dec 24, 2007 Positive I hosted Daniel for a few days in GT, and he was a lovely guest. He was friendly, courteous, and never complained even though it was a chaotic time for me (just settling into a new apartment) and I kept feeding him hot soup in tropical weather. He'll always be welcome back!
From Charlene Abdul Guildford, United Kingdom Dec 11, 2007 Positive It was great to host Daniel! He's an interesting guy, whose really down to earth and very easy to please:-)
From Emandg Southampton, United Kingdom Nov 27, 2007 Positive Daniel stayed with us for three nights and we showed him around the area. He is very polite and has a good sense of humour, we had some giggles together!!
He is quite a chunkalunks ;)haha. we wish him well with his travels and hope to stay with him in Helsinki when the weather is warmer!
From Mateusz Babicz Krakow, Poland Nov 5, 2007 Positive Daniel is really great an helpful host. It's no problem for him to offer a mattress, advice and karjalanpiirakka. Hope to see Daniel soon.
I survived the Lake Bodom :)
From Hanna Ristisuo Helsinki, Finland Oct 22, 2007 Positive Daniel is a wonderful, kindhearted and very trustable person. He has the best sense of humour I have ever met :)
From Walter Heck Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct 15, 2007 Positive Daniel is a very good host and an extremely nice guy. He came with us to the metal pub crawl, which I enjoyed very much. As like all Finns, he can be quiet if there is no need to say anything, especially in the beginning. I like that and don't let it discourage you, he really is a wonderful host!
From Don Killian Helsinki, Finland Oct 13, 2007 Positive We seem to somehow run into each other quite often at various situations, for whatever reason. Our lives seem to follow each other. Tane is a great guy with a lot of interesting stories to tell of his travels. I'm sure we'll continue to meet!
From DUKE Helsinki, Finland Oct 12, 2007 Positive Daniel is our friendly neighborhood Helsinki Ambassador! He hosted me for several days. He was so accommodating, helpful, and very patient as I would always have to stay just another day for one reason or another. He might strike you as a man of few words, like most Finns, but you'll find that you can to him about anything, and have lots to say about it.
I'm really looking forward to building a bigger community in Finland with Daniel.
Kiitos!
From Naz Acikkol Ankara, Turkey Sep 30, 2007 Positive I met him and his great friends just because of a msg that i sent!:) That night we went to fireworks competition and it was great! He invited me to a concert that was one of my favorite bands:) and we also met for the wine fair. Daniel thank you so much for the invitations! Really i had a great time especially at the concert!;) by the way he is half finnish and half english but i think he is irish!;p
From Ilya Levintan Saint Petersburg, Russia Sep 14, 2007 Positive Staying in Helsinki at Daniel's home was my very fist CS expirience and I really liked it ! Very calm and friendly person, perfect host. He showed me a bit Helsinki, told lots of interesting things about Finland and other countries. I would definitely recommend him without any hesitations ! Thank you Daniel for your hospitality, you are always welcome in Saint Petersburg at any time ! Just let me know :)
From Karl Lagace Quebec, Canada Sep 11, 2007 Positive Good combinaton of everything, makes good time of anything....Daniel,Concert hall, Wine, Food.....
From OGONEKORAMA Saint Petersburg, Russia Jul 30, 2007 Positive At first we stayed with Daniel twice, and each time he was a very welcoming and hospitable host, knowledgeable of Helsinki and Finland. Now he has become a good friend of us. Visiting Helsinki without meeting Daniel is definitely a waste of time.
From Sharon Joyce Missoula, United States Jul 29, 2007 Positive Daniel is the perfect example of a couchsurfing host! He met us when we arrived and helped us find his place, then we went out for drinks!He gave us lots of ideas for where to go and a very comfortable place to sleep! the next day he took us to a music club! very cool times! Thanks Daniel!
From Tilman Rauthe Oberstaufen, Germany Jul 20, 2007 Positive Daniel belongs to the kind of people I would like get to know better, just to increase my horizont.
From Suvi Korhonen Helsinki, Finland Jul 10, 2007 Positive Tane is easygoing and friendly, but not aloof. I like his sense of humor & share interest in psychology with him. I'd like to have a chance to travel with him one day.
From Paula Coelho Sao Paulo, Brazil Jul 9, 2007 Positive we meet Daniel with friends in a wonderful evening in helsinki
he is a really good guide :)
From MEROPOLLO Mexico City, Mexico Jul 8, 2007 Positive Staying with Daniel made my experience in Helsinki that much better. I enjoyed meeting a Finn I could nag with my questions on his country and his fellow countrymen and Daniel was very generous in resources and time. Even if my current and future homes are not in his top travel destinations, I hope to be able to host him and show him around in the future.
From Alexandre Rocha Belo Horizonte, Brazil Jun 30, 2007 Positive Great fella! Very nice person. A real friend. Hosted us for 3 days, stood my poor english intense conversations and took us in secret places in Helsinki! Hope to see Daniel here in Brasil soon!
From MINSKI&MIO Helsinki, Finland Jun 18, 2007 Positive Daniel is a real sweetheart:goldhearted, openminded, intelligent and real person. We meet time to time in Helsinki for some beers and other activities.
We were travelling together for about an week in India on may 2007. Daniel is nice and trusworthy company for travelling together and as a guest. Had memorable times!
From Suvir Paul Mumbai, India May 28, 2007 Positive Daniel and Minna booked themselves real early .. and were actually my first couchsurfing request ... both amazing people wanting to experience India in their own way and adventurous too ... cause in no time without an agenda they fixed it all up to go to Kashmir (pretty neat and impressive) ... Thanks for the Salmari guys .. it got some raving reviews ... hope to see you on your way back ... Peace :)
From ARTROC Paris, France May 14, 2007 Positive Daniel was my first Host, and wouldn't be the first time people says that i'm sure, he is so easygoing, very good person and the best adviser to how to visit Helsinki as well.And he made me feel like in my own home. It was really great. In the first day he took me to a very nice place "TORNI" i really enjoyed it. Thank you a lot man. oikein hyvä sohva jolla nukkuin.kiitos. Nähdään sitten.moikka.
From Kristen Ratcliffe Huntingtown, United States May 14, 2007 Positive He´s a great host. Very kind and funny guy. We enojyed a picnic with a bunch of CS people and i experienced my first Eurovision with him and friends. It was fun!
From Karen Anker Tottenham, Canada Apr 16, 2007 Positive Daniel was an extremely helpful host. He met us at the station to make sure we were well aquainted with the city for our short visit. A great experience.
From MONDIMOD Helsinki, Finland Apr 15, 2007 Positive Minna introduced me to Daniel and it's good that we have such hosts in Helsinki. I haven't spent so much time with him but somethimes you can just tell when you can trust some people. He's patient and good listener in conversations.
From Jordan Carter Wellington, New Zealand Apr 5, 2007 Positive Daniel was a brillant host I ended up meeting other couchsurfers and hosts as well as a friendly game of volley ball and seeing the perfect system for his cd collection. Also helpfull and knows the exact right kebab/burger place to go to after a night out.
From Gwen Rahardja London, United Kingdom Mar 21, 2007 Positive Daniel was so generous with his time! Jane and I appreciated the effort he went to to show us a bit of Helsinki! Keep in touch Daniel; email if you come to England!
From Sathish Kris Bangalore, India Mar 15, 2007 Positive The moment I sent him a mail he asked me to come over and stay. He did trust me with his room keys. Quite interesting conversations we had and he had done solo travel to places like South Africa & Zimbabwe. I felt more like home at his place.
From Henry Van Campa Nelson, New Zealand Feb 6, 2007 Positive I met Daniel by chance in a pancake queue at Nelson Saturday market when her South African friend first recognised my Finland T-shirt and she started talking me finnish! Later I discovered he knows Anu and is coming to CSC at 22 Cliffs. Looking forward to meet him again and talk some finnish :)
From MOINU Vienna, Austria Jan 22, 2007 Positive He seems to be very nice and he has a good taste for crackers ;-)
From BEN & NIC Adelaide, Australia Dec 20, 2006 Positive Daniel was fabulous in a time of need ! He provided us with lots of information to make getting to his place easy, met us at the bus stop, took us into town for a lightening tour and gave us his bed for a much needed sleep ! Although ben was sleep walking don't take it personally Daniel, we loved your company. Let us know if you come to Adelaide one day or maybe we will get back to spend more time in your beautiful city.
From Tavo & Conchi Santiago, Chile Nov 12, 2006 Positive Daniel was very kind to show me around and share drinks while I was staying at Minna´s home. Hes interesting and very friendly, and we ended up being sport team mates in the early finnish winter, what I loved. Thanks for your time, Daniel, and hope you get to NZ in time...!
From Caroline Stirnimann Basel, Switzerland Oct 13, 2006 Positive he was the first person we stayed at through couch surfing and we had a good time. he was very nice and came to the city with us and told us things about finland.
From Michael Laneville Ottawa, Canada Sep 16, 2006 Positive Daniel came through on short notice and extended his complete hospitality to me, ensuring I had a great time traveling in Finland. As my first host, I really apprecitated this.
From Jenni Alasuutari Helsinki, Finland Sep 8, 2006 Positive A friendly and easy going guy. It was nice to get to know you.
From Sonja Bartenschlager Ulm, Germany Sep 5, 2006 Positive Daniel (!) was an awesome host - I guess I couldn't have had anyone better ;-) I felt extremely comfortable - not to say like "at home" during my stay ... Daniel helped me a lot finding my way around in Helsinki and he's a great person spending time with! He even didn't mind me using his cell phone to call other finnish couchsurfers ... ;-) Thank you a lot for everything - this was a great "first time" *smile* and I hope to meet you again sometime ...
From Jon Gosier Kampala, Uganda Sep 3, 2006 Positive Daniel was extremely intelligent, polite and hospitable. My friends and I had great fun exploring Finish nightlife with him and learning about Hellsinki. His couch is the comfiest thing I've slept on in weeks!
From Laura Fries Atlanta, United States Sep 3, 2006 Positive Daniel was a great host. Although we were last minute travelers, he found space for us in his house and time to take us out to bars and show us around the city a bit.
From Ciro Romano Foggia, Italy Sep 2, 2006 Positive Daniel is a very nice person. I met him in Helsinki with other surfers hanging around in ‘the night of art’. He also suggested me very special finnish drinks! Kiitos!
From Christopher Oezbek Berlin, Germany Aug 21, 2006 Positive Daniel is a relaxed guy, who told me lots about Finnland an Helsinki in the couple of hours that I stayed with him. He tops 13000 at Gyro-Ball ;-) and lives close to a very nice neighborhood that he showed me to.
From Aurelien Regat-Barrel Pondicherry, India Aug 21, 2006 Positive I decided without delay to go to Finland from Sweden, and looked for a place to crash in Helsinki. Daniel answered me quickly and hosted me for 2 nights. He even gave me his keys in order I could visit on my own the city and come back when I wanted to do. Thanks Daniel!
From Kirsten Kromhout Barrie, Canada Aug 3, 2006 Positive Daniel was a great host, very helpful and accomodating. We had a great stay in Helsinki. Thanks for all the advice Daniel :)
From John Wright London, United Kingdom Jul 28, 2006 Positive Daniel was finding it hard to walk when I arrived as he had injured his leg but he still came to meet me and made sure I was well looked after. An interesting person who shares my interest in visiting the most offbeat places imaginable - maybe that Pitcairn trip will happen one day.....I highly recommend staying with Daniel. |