If you’re planning on jetting away this summer, there’s a new travel trend that you might want to give a go – but be warned, many people think it’s rather bizarre.
Not only does this latest trend have a weird name, it’s also a pretty strange method considering how technology has kept us preoccupied on flights for years.
Whether you like to listen to calming sea noises via your earphones or watch an action-packed flick to pass the time, it’s no surprise that tech is saving people from utter boredom when up in the air.
However, if you were ‘raw-dogging’ a flight, you’d be left twiddling your thumbs.
Although the name seems a little explicit, it’s actually a lot less gross than what you’re currently thinking right now.
Now, it might be easy to attempt on a short flight instead of a long-haul one to begin with as the endurance you need to refrain from grabbing a book or brochure to read can be immense.
Raw-dogging is apparently the new travel trend this summer. (Getty Stock Image)
But @trashcanpaul on Instagram has become some what of a professional at it after sharing a picture to the platform boasting his new personal best – raw-dogging a seven-hour flight.
He captioned the pic: “Just raw dogged a seven hour flight (new personal best).
“No headphones, no movie, no water, nothing. Incredible.
“The power of my mind knows no bounds.”
No need to get your kit off when you decided to raw-dog your flight – it’s all about forms of entertainment and vetoing them in light of enjoying a quiet experience.
But he was out raw-dogged pretty quickly in the comments as fellow travellers decided to chime in with their own personal best times.
One person wrote: “My record is 12.5 hours raw dogged on a plane.”
Another said “Raw dogged one from LAX to Tokyo. Haven’t been the same since, stepped off that plane a different person.”
It means you need to veto all forms of entertainment. (Getty Stock Image)
Though other social media users have been left baffled by the idea, with one X user writing: “People who raw dog flights without headphones, a book, a movie etc etc just sittin there eyes open for hours are not human to me.”
While someone else added: “People who raw dog a flight are a different species.”
Despite the popularity nowadays, the phrase was seemingly coined on X back in 2022. One user tweeted: “The dude next to me on the plane just absolutely raw dogged this entire flight.
“He got on a TEN HOUR FLIGHT to Europe in jeans, no headphones, no book, no neck pillow, literally just a paper cup of coffee without a lid, like sir are you okay?”
Regardless, it seems that as long as you’re not reaching for something to keep you entertained, it’s all OK.
Even though the term has been used for years to represent sex without protection, it has now evolved to simply mean that someone is unprepared for the task at hand.
So, as long as you don’t go into this whole thing with the Urban Dictionary mentality of raw-dogging then you’ll be fine.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
