‘Rawdogging’ has become an online buzzword in recent months but now an expert has warned the strange trend among mostly male travellers could be harmful.
The term refers to the practice of consuming no form of entertainment during a flight – except for the basic maps or data shown on the seatback screen.
Taken to extremes, some of the practitioners also claim not to have any food or drink for the duration of the journey, even on long-haul flights.
The trend crossed over into mainstream conversations after a number of high-profile sportsmen ‘rawdogged’ flights, including Manchester City football superstar Erling Haaland.
But experts say it is dangerous to a person’s physical health, could even lead to death from deep vein thrombosis or dehydration, and that those who do it are ‘idiots’.
Haaland popularised the concept when he posted a photo of himself to social media in a business class seat on a plane, where he looked pale and almost robotic.
‘Just raw dogged a 7 hour flight. No phone no sleep no water no food only map #easy,’ the 24-year-old Norwegian wrote.
But nutritionist Toby King said rawdogging could increase the risk of getting a bloodclot which ‘can break off and cause a blockage of the arteries in the lung, which is very serious and can cause death’.
The first time most people became aware of rawdogging was when Manchester City player Erling Haaland (pictured) posted a photo of himself doing it
‘This is one of the most dangerous trends I have seen on social media in a while, and 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 travelling,’ he told travel adventure site Inspire Ambitions.
Dr Gill Jenkins, who works in air ambulance transfers, didn’t pull her punches when describing those who rawdog flights, saying: ‘They’re idiots.’
She said while avoiding the internet and social media on a flight could be a good ‘digital detox … all the rest of it is against medical advice’.
‘The whole thing about the risk of long-haul flying is that you’re at risk of dehydration,’ she told the BBC.
‘If you’re not moving you’re at risk of deep vein thrombosis, which is compounded by dehydration.’
The doctor, who is a GP when she’s not working on medical flights, also has some solid advice about the most unsavoury part of rawdogging.
‘Not going to the toilet, that’s a bit stupid. If you need the loo, you need the loo,’ she said.
Another young man popularising the trend is Australian DJ Torren Foot.
‘Just raw-dogged it, 15 hour flight to Melbourne. I counted to 1 million twice,’ he boasted on a TikTok video while blinking hard as if struggling to stay awake.
‘No music, no movies, just flight map.’
One of the commenters under his post gently suggested he didn’t really count to one million twice, writing ‘over 18 numbers a second for the whole flight is wild’.
Another wrote that rawdogging the flight ‘was already impressive we didn’t need the counting lie’.
A team of travel experts from travel site Netflights have also warned against the practice, saying relaxing and sleeping on long-flights help curb jetlag.
Along with not getting your money’s worth – if the price of food and drinks is part of the ticket cost – the experts say not eating can cause ‘fatigue and extreme tiredness’.
‘Flying can be dehydrating, which can result in headaches, dizziness and fatigue,’ the website reads.
‘With low oxygen pressure on flights and a change in humidity levels, an increased amount of water evaporates from our skin and lungs when flying, so it becomes increasingly important to stay hydrated and consume liquids.’
The experts also warned that rather than getting a benefit from their digital detox, it could have the opposite effect.
‘Passengers who decide to stare into space on a long-haul flight may experience increased stress because with nothing to do, they could start overthinking and this could spiral out of control,’ they said.
They also said the onboard entertainment provided is there to be enjoyed, not wilfully ignored for an endurance test.
‘For most passengers who are off on their holidays, enjoying the flight is the beginning of the holiday, so it’s the perfect time to relax and enjoy the journey,’ the Netflights site reads.
‘We advise enjoying the flight and for ultimate happiness, explore the in-flight entertainment or take activities so you can switch off and take a well-deserved rest.’
‘Passengers who decide to stare into space on a long-haul flight may experience increased stress because with nothing to do, they could start overthinking and this could spiral out of control’
Sydney woman Elsa, who has recently returned from a trip to Europe, finds the whole notion of rawdogging ‘weird’.
‘Why would anyone want to do that? It’s not the 1990s, where you have to watch a specific film at a specific time,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘There are thousands of hours of films and TV shows on planes now. I don’t understand what benefit anyone would get from just staring ahead of them for hour after hour after hour.
‘Most of the people doing it seem to be Gen Z men. Are they trying to prove how tough they are? It’s lunacy.’