In-Flight Raw Dogging: The Bizarre New Travel Trend That’s Going viral

CNN
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Michael Ceely once spent four hours of the flight relaxing: no magazines, no movies, no podcasts, just staring out the window and checking the flight map.

Ceely, a California therapist who specializes in working with men, thought it was a form of digital detox and meditation. But a growing number of young men online are doing the same thing, but with a very different name: “raw dogging.”

“I was tired of the usual routine of watching a movie or reading a book (on board), so I thought, ‘I’ll just stare into space and use it as a Zen meditation.’ » Ceely recounts her experience relaxing on a plane.

He explains that it can be difficult to convince some men to embrace meditation, mindfulness or any other practice that might be considered “spiritual.” While he told CNN he wasn’t familiar with the term “raw dogging” used in this particular way, he understands why the eyebrow-raising moniker appeals to a certain type of traveler.

“Men like challenges,” he says. “It’s definitely more socially acceptable for men to brag about things like that. I also think it’s perhaps more a question of the male psyche: I like challenges, I’ll see if I can do it. It’s an acetic practice, but I call it buddy jargon. »

Some men have risen to the challenge beyond simply avoiding on-board entertainment, skipping on-board food and drinks or even getting up to use the toilet.

The trend has become popular on social media, with TikTok users competing against each other to see who has made the longest journey with the fewest amenities. A British DJ with the username oiwudini got 1.3 million likes on a video in which he bragged about traveling for seven hours on a plane without headphones, sleep or other comforts. One commenter called the experience “an incredible dopamine detox.”

Some women are also getting into the experience. TikToker Veronica Skaia said it’s her favorite form of travel. “I’m just staring into the abyss and watching the little GPS plane,” she said in a video that received 9,905 comments.

Writing in GQ, journalist Kate Lindsay traces the origins of this unfortunately named trend to the Apple TV show Hijack, in which Idris Elba’s character is on a plane without his phone or any other devices. However, in the series, Elba’s character doesn’t have much time to stare into space, as he’s busy negotiating with a group of terrorists who have hijacked the plane he’s on.