While most travelers meticulously pack their carry-on bags with headphones, snacks, and a carefully curated playlist, a brave few are ditching all in-flight comforts for a minimalist challenge.
Enter "raw-dogging," the bizarre new trend where passengers sit through long flights with nothing but their thoughts—and maybe the in-flight map—to keep them company.
Highlights
- Raw-dogging is a trend where passengers endure long flights with no entertainment, food, or sleep.
- Experts warned that raw-dogging can pose serious health risks, including dehydration and deep vein thrombosis.
- Sports personalities and TikTokers have popularized raw-dogging on social media, showcasing their own experiences.
- While some participants find mental endurance and introspection appealing, others see it as unnecessary and torturous.
An expert also explained that raw-dogging flights could indicate several factors about one’s personality.
Gone are the days of enjoying modern flying comforts because raw-dogging means no distractions—no music, no streaming, no snacks, and definitely no sleep. It's all about pushing the limits of mental endurance.
Some travelers are ditching all in-flight comforts—no music, snacks, or sleep—for the bizarre new trend called "raw-dogging"
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A number of passengers have been taking up this trend, with some for it and some against it.
“I have never seen so many people raw-dogging a flight in my life,” a surprised TikToker wrote in the caption of a video she shot mid-air. “Literally just staring straight ahead the entire time? This was a 5-HOUR flight from NYC to [San Francisco].”
The trend has become so popular that even well-known sports personalities have been filming themselves “raw-dogging” flights.
“Just raw dogged a 7 hour flight. No phone no sleep no water no food only map #easy,” Manchester City football superstar Erling Haaland said on social media.
The 24-year-old looked pale and dazed while trying out the trend with his business-class ticket.
A number of TikTokers, including Manchester City football superstar Erling Haaland, have shared posts of themselves taking up the bizarre travel trend
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Image credits: erling.haaland
Australian music producer Torren Foot also boasted on TikTok about his raw-dogging achievements.
“Just raw-dogged it, 15 hour flight to Melbourne," he said on TikTok. "No music, no movies, just flight map."
Another traveler, Damion Bailey, revealed that he’s been trying out the trend frequently and recently achieved his personal best—raw-dogging an entire 13-and-a-half-hour flight between Shanghai and Dallas.
“It’s quite tough, honestly,” the 34-year-old Miami resident told BBC earlier this month.
Damion said he likes the “challenge” since he flies so often.
"The first time I did it was on a shorter flight, out of necessity," he said. "I forgot my headphones, and there wasn’t anything on the entertainment that I wanted to watch."
Australian music producer Torren Foot also boasted about his raw-dogging achievements on TikTok
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However, not everyone has been impressed with the trend.
"Sounds like self-inflicted torture with literally no incentive," one social media user said. "Give me my in-flight wi-fi, my sleep mask and let’s throw in some snacks."
"Big mistake," said a TikToker named Brenda, who tried to raw-dog her way through a flight. "Pretty sure the only thing that took off was my sanity."
“Note to self, won’t be doing that again. Definitely an overrated experience,” she added. “Not at all enlightening as people make out.”
Medical experts have issued warnings against the trend, with General Physician Dr. Gill Jenkins saying “they’re idiots” for raw-dogging flights.
While some find the trend challenging and refreshing, others view it as self-inflicted torture with no incentive
It may seem to be a test of mental endurance; however, sitting on long flights without food, water, or any sort of movement can pose serious health risks, she explained.
"A digital detox might do you some good, but all the rest of it is against medical advice," said the doctor, who also works as a medical escort in air ambulance work. "The whole thing about the risk of long-haul flying is that you’re at risk of dehydration."
"If you’re not moving you’re at risk of deep vein thrombosis, which is compounded by dehydration. Not going to the toilet, that’s a bit stupid. If you need the loo, you need the loo,” she added.
Business Psychologist Danielle Haig said she could see the appeal behind the trend of taking time out to quietly reflect on one’s thoughts in a confined space and taking a break from fast-paced, everyday life.
Experts caution against raw-dogging flights due to health risks like dehydration and other health risks due to the lack of movement
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“It offers an opportunity to recharge mentally, gain new perspectives,” she told the publication.
On the other hand, some agree that a digital detox and even being bored for a few hours can be good for one’s mental health.
“It can really improve our relaxation and creativity,” said Sandi Mann, an academic and the author of The Science of Boredom.
“We need to reduce our need for novelty and stimulation and whizzy-whizzy bang-bang dopamine, and just take time out to breathe and stare at the clouds - literally, if you're on a flight,” she added.
However, she asserted that buckling up with no food, water, and any movement on a long flight is not ideal.
Experts say that raw-dogging a flight may appeal to those seeking mental recharge and introspection, offering a break from the usual fast-paced life
"I think people need to understand this is not ideal for a seven-hour flight," the author said. "You've got to get the balance right."
Nutritionist Toby King described raw-dogging a flight as “one of the most dangerous trends [he has] seen on social media in a while.”
“While it looks innocent and a bit of fun on the surface, this could have deadly consequences and I would urge people to use sense when traveling,” he told travel site Inspire Ambitions, as quoted by the New York Post.
Raw-dogging a flight could also increase the risk of blood clots that can “break off and cause a blockage of the arteries in the lung.”
This is “very serious and can cause death,” he added.
A clinical psychologist explained that raw-dogging a flight could indicate certain aspects of a person's personality
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Taking up the raw-dogging trend could also indicate aspects of one’s personality. They could be a “mental introspector” or someone who is “trained” to “zone out,” according to an LA-based clinical psychologist, Dr. Ramani Durvasula.
“Some of the most likely reasons may be – tired, depleted, mental introspector, could be someone who over a lifetime was in situations (for example repeatedly forced to go to long church services) that almost got them trained to sit there and zone out, without doing something else, someone who may be in a new situation where they are taking a lot in,” the It's Not You author told the Daily Mail.
People who can just sit with their thoughts are generally “better at just ‘being’ and at waiting patiently – and those are the people who seem to be built for rawdogging.”
She also noted that women, mostly mothers and homemakers, were most likely to "raw-dog."
"[It was] a time [for them] to just sit down, think, not think, but with no expectation of caregiving or doing something – could be the origin of rawdogging for some,” she added.
People had mixed opinions about the digital detox in the sky that involves no food, no music, and no movies
