What Makes a Good Flashpacker Hostel?

Free drinking water

Let’s start with one of the most basic things – free drinking water. It doesn’t matter what form it comes in – a water filter in the kitchen, water dispensers or even refillable bottles. I’d say at least half of the hostels I stayed at recently offered drinking or filtered water. The other half told me the unfiltered “tap water is drinkable”. Regardless of it being drinkable or not, filtered water should be a given in any flashpacker hostel not only for the guest’s comfort but especially to reduce the need to buy plastic bottles. 

Free Towels

Yes, towels! Most hosts offer towels only to guests staying in private rooms. But what a relief to see a towel on my bed every time I enter a dorm room. I tend to pack as light as possible, which means that the only towel I usually bring is a very light microfiber beach towel. We all know these terrible monsters. Trying to dry yourself off with these feels more like opening a dam all over your body. So not great for showering but practical in hot climates, for the beach and pool.

Offering guests a towel regardless of room type, is a huge plus and definitively adds value for flashpackers!

A nice surprise – free towels in a flashpacker hostel!

Dorm beds with privacy 

Having curtains for privacy seems to be standard now in most better hostels. They don’t only provide some privacy but I find them incredibly cozy as well. There is a new trend though – having your own cubicle. It’s basically your own private mini room with enough space for your bag, lamp, locker and sometimes even a small shelf. The Clock Hostel and Suites where I stayed at in Cartagena is a great example for that. Casa Cubil (the name says it all), featured in my article about the best flashpacker hostels in Bogota, also offers single or double cubicles in their dorms. I find them very cozy – other might say that they make them feel a bit claustrophobic. Whatever it is, beds with curtains, solid walls or even a cubicle – privacy is key in flashpacker hostel dorm beds.

Private sleeping pods at The Clock Hostel, a flashpacker hostel in Cartagena, Colombia

Quiet time at night – a must in a flashpacker hostel

Most of us love a good party. And a bar or rooftop makes a hostel usually more social. Having a drink, enjoying the music, the view and a great conversation with fellow travellers, this all adds to the social vibe of a hostel. What’s fun in the evening though, can quickly become annoying if the music never stops. A good flashpacker hostel will turn down the music at midnight the latest so everyone can get a good night’s sleep!

Work friendly spaces for digital nomads

Probably one of the most important points on the list and especially relevant for people working mostly digitally. Having work friendly spaces in a hostel is a must-have! Many hostels, especially in the digital hubs of the world – Berlin, Medellin, Tel Aviv, many places have adapted to the millennial generation of whom many can work from anywhere. A great example for a hostel pretty much made for digital nomads is Los Patios in Medellin. It’s hands down one of the best hostels I have ever stayed offering meeting rooms, coworking spaces, a cafe, two rooftops, and a lounge with strong wifi throughout. They also host regular events with local artists, start-ups and charities making the most of the international atmosphere the hostel provides.

Work friendly spaces catering for digital nomads is a must-have in any flashpacker hostel

 Counter Trend: Not being connected

There seems to be a counter trend though to strong wifi and being connected all the time – trying to be disconnected. Over the course of my last trip to Colombia a couple of hostels didn’t have any wifi at all – not because they were so remote (wifi is accessible in the remotest regions) but because they wanted their guests to connect rather than their phones. And seeing no one on their phones, people reading books and playing board games was in a way just so surreal but instantly took me back to one of my first backpacking trips in my early twenties when the smartphone area just started.

But all in all, for people that are on the road for longer and working while travelling, efficient and comfortable working spaces are a must-have and will be a deciding factor for them where to stay.

I’m sure there is way more to add. Any ideas? Let me know!