Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is nothing exactly that Finnish but as a foreigner it is a community which you can find useful in many ways. Couchsurfing is about trade but trade in more general sense. You give and you get, but you may give to someone and you may from get it back someone else at some point of life. Basis of trade here is place to sleep, friendly advice from other person who is curious about other globetrotters, cup of coffee. When I couchsurf the only thing I can expect is a place to sleep, but I have always received much more than that (rides from train station to host’s home, city tours, good advices what to see, what to do, interesting discussions…)

My experience

I have been Couchsurfing member since 2006 when Ildi introduced me to it. First year I did not do anything with it. When I moved to Bratislava 2007 I couchsurfed my first nights at Matus while searching my own flat. Matus is still friend of mine. I met him last time in New Year 2010.

After my first couchsurfing experience I have been couchsurfing myself, once in Graz, Austria, twice in Budapest (the other time I was couchsurfing with Ilka), in Brno, Czech Republic, Chicago, USA and Poprad, Slovakia. Not only I have couchsurfed but I have hosted Brazilian, American, Welsh, New Zealanders, Hungarian, Portuguese and Italian couchsurfer. Not only it is cheap way to travel but one is gaining much more experiences and get way more out of travelling when getting advices from local people. I have been amazed so many times how friendly people are.

The idea is that one makes profile to www.couchsurfing.org that is basically ad in the marketplace. You can modify your ad depending your life situation. Not all the people have possibility to provide place to sleep but they are happy to show city around to someone.

Helsinki Group

In the couchsurfing society there are many different groups relating to interests or locations. One of the group in Helsinki Group. It is volunteer group. They organize meetings once a week at Talo bar that is in Hakaniemi, not far from my place. That one chance to you meet other expats, exchange students, tourists visiting Finland and Finnish people willing to share their time with foreigners. Besides regular meetings they organize happening on special occasions (Midsummer, MayDay etc.).

They have also active (really) forum from where people have found recently free Viking Line tickets to Stockholm and back, help with moving (car and powerfull guys to move the furnitures), models to her artwork. You can decide to either receive messages sent to the forum to your email or not.

Therefore I suggest you to consider if you’d be up to joining Couchsurfing!

You can find me there under the profile name MIIKA

Good luck!