What is raw dogging a flight? The bizarre travel trend, explained

Men are raw-dogging on their flights for hours on end.

Some think it’s tasteless. Some think it’s a better experience. Whatever the case, this travel trend is certainly controversial - and you may have done it without knowing.

Men sharing their experiences of “raw dogging” - going without any of the usual comforts on a flight - are going viral on social media. Is it insanity? Or should more people give it a go?

Raw dogging devotees commit to no headphones, no movies, no blanket - not even sleep - for the entire flight duration. Impressively, or perhaps disturbingly, some refuse to let themselves drink water.

It also extends to clothing - ideally, this is as bland as possible. A solid-coloured hoodie and beige pants would do.

You’d be forgiven if you think you can do this in business class. You cannot. The travel trend is reserved for economy class passengers only.

Hardcore.

@jdrunsfar

The only thing to watch whilst flying @VirginAtlantic 🫡 #flightmap #plane #flight

♬ original sound - strongsack

Who or what is responsible for the phenomenon?

According to the New York Post, the trend can thank the character Sam Nelson (played by Idris Elba) on the seven-episode Apple TV+ series Hijacked.

In the show, he has no choice but to go without the comforts for seven hours, flying from Dubai to London.

What are they doing instead and why?

For potentially hours on end, raw doggers are not engaging with anything stimulating. So what are they doing instead?

Watching the flight map, reading then re-reading the flight safety instructions, but most of all - being stuck in deep thought.

@homebydawnmusic

Its a mindset #fyp #flight

♬ Collide - Home By Dawn 🏠☀️

The point is to push your mental and physical limits, or as one user on TikTok says, “mind control and being able to do nothing”.

For others, it provides an otherwise rare opportunity to shut off from the busyness of modern life and simply reflect.

“I love doing this. Flying is one of the only places where I can mostly just turn off my brain and exist. It’s peaceful,” one user commented on a Reddit thread.

Another user wrote: “It’s healthy to disconnect. Your mind isn’t built for stimulation 24/7″.

@patrick.oatman

My dad be rawdogging every flight like this #planes#travel#flying#airport#airtravel

♬ aura - zach

Though the trend is popular with men, women are doing it too. One daughter shared a TikTok of her mother quite comfortably raw-dogging on a nine-hour flight.

“That’s a person that is truly at peace,” one person commented on the TikTok.

“Oh, to be this mentally stable,” another wrote.