More and more people - notably men - are taking a bizarre approach to tackling flights, by simply "raw dogging" them.
Air travel can be excruciatingly boring, particularly when there isn't much legroom and you're essentially trapped for many hours.
Everyone has their own ideas about how to combat boredom, and personally, I opt for podcasts.
Most flights nowadays will provide some sort of in-flight entertainment, because most people need to distract themselves.
But what if you didn't do anything and simply sat there?
This is where the term "raw dogging" comes into it.
Despite the array of in-flight entertainment options available—such as movies, music, and snacks - "raw doggers" are opting for a more basic experience.
They are choosing to forgo all these amenities, including sleep, and instead spend the entire flight staring into the distance, perhaps at the in-flight map or into the void. According to The Independent, the trend is supposed to act as a meditative cure for in-flight anxiety and provide time for self-reflection.
I don't think I've ever sat with my own thoughts for that long.
TikTok creator Michelle captured this phenomenon in action.
In her video, she remarked: “I have never seen so many people raw dogging a flight in my life. Literally just staring straight ahead the entire time? This was a 5 HOUR flight from NYC to SF?? Aren't San Franciscans always glued to a screen or something???”
She concluded with a self-reflective question: “Have I become an iPad kid...”
Now that we're thinking about it, it does pose the question of why we need to fill all of our time and can't just sit peacefully.
For me, I think social media has ruined my attention span and I'm in constant need of a dopamine hit by scrolling social media or other forms of entertainment.
TikToker Jonny Davies posted a video of himself raw dogging a flight, however, he was wearing headphones so some commenters deemed his attempt unsuccessful.
That being said, men in the comments offered their thoughts about how to perfectly raw dog a flight.
"Just a cup of lukewarm coffee and the flight map is all you need," one person wrote, with a second adding: "I mean someone has to make sure the plane is on route."
One individual describes his success, writing: "Raw dogged London to Tokyo in March - 16 hours of pure brilliance."
Another person said: "I did 12 hours 50 minutes Cape Town to London headphones still in packet sealed."
If this becomes a competition of who can best raw dog a flight then I will partake because of my desire to win things... but the thought of sitting with no entertainment for no reason fills me with dread.
I'll stick with my podcasts and naps for now.
