Everybody has a different strategy for avoiding boredom during a lengthy journey – from consuming all the in-flight entertainment to getting rid of every pointless picture in your phone's gallery.
Now, there’s a new one to try out called rawdogging, and it requires absolutely nothing.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland is just one celeb who says he “raw dogged” a seven-hour flight recently and found it “easy”.
But what is it all about? Here is everything we know:
What is rawdogging?
The newest travel craze on TikTok demands that travellers sit silently and without screens throughout lengthy flights.
That implies no tablets, phones, music, movies, sleep, food, or other distractions while flying in the cabin.
In the Apple TV+ series Hijacked, Idris Elba's character Sam Nelson has been partially credited with starting the anti-indulgence movement. The 50-year-old must sit through a more than seven-hour flight from Dubai to London without any comforts after thieves take over his airbus in the anthology's seven episodes.
To put it mildly, the idea of taking a long-haul flight alone with our thoughts is terrifying for a lot of us.
However, some content producers market themselves as experts in this perplexing endurance art.
One user @oiwudini, a Manchester-based DJ and producer, wrote: “Just rawdogged a 7-hour flight (new personal best) no headphones, no movie, no water, nothing.
“Incredible. The power of my mind knows no bounds,” he added.
@oiwudini 🧘🏻♂️ #fyp
♬ The Only Thing They Fear Is You - De8ed
While another user @kareemrahma, a NY-based comedian, shared his own journey.
@kareemrahma Just rawdogged my longest flight yet. #bareback #rawdog #airplanes #flights #travel
♬ Motivational - Vioo Sound
After an 11-hour flight, Jonny Davies @jdrunsfar shared his personal best on social media, referring to it as "raw dogging the flight map" and captioning it, "The only thing to watch whilst flying Virgin Atlantic."
@jdrunsfar The only thing to watch whilst flying @VirginAtlantic 🫡 #flightmap #plane #flight
♬ original sound - strongsack
This practice is neither novel nor cutting edge. It is the normal work of nuns and monks. For thousands of years, individuals of both Eastern and Western faiths have used this method to declutter their brains.
If you’re up for the challenge, it may help remove any outside distractions from your life so that you may focus on the things that really matter and consider your place in the world, both of which are beneficial pursuits.
What do the experts say?
Turns out, they are not particularly enamoured with the idea.
Some medical experts have even said it could be dangerous - warning of the significant health risks of taking long flights without food, water or moving around.
“They’re idiots,” says Dr Gill Jenkins, a GP who also works as a medical escort in air ambulance work. “A digital detox might do you some good, but all the rest of it is against medical advice.”
She told the BBC: "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."
Sandi Mann, academic and author of The Science of Boredom, says she can see the benefits, but people need to be careful.
She said: “It can really improve our relaxation and creativity.
“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.
But she also suggests avoiding food and water would pose added health risks.
“I think people need to understand this is not ideal for a seven-hour flight. You've got to get the balance right.”
