“Rawdogging” has become a buzzword online in recent months, but now an expert has warned that the bizarre trend among mostly male travellers could be harmful.
The term refers to the practice of not consuming any entertainment during a flight except for basic maps or data displayed on the seatback screen.
Taken to the extreme, some practitioners also claim to not eat or drink anything for the entire trip, even on long-haul flights.
The trend moved into mainstream conversations after several high-profile sportsmen “threw” flights, including Manchester City football superstar Erling Haaland.
But experts say it is dangerous to a person’s physical health, can even lead to death from deep vein thrombosis or dehydration, and that those who do it are “idiots.”
Haaland popularized the concept when he posted a photo of himself on social media in a business class seat on a plane, where he appeared pale and almost robotic.
“I just took a seven-hour flight. No phone, no sleep, no water, no food, just a map. #easy,” the 24-year-old Norwegian wrote.
But nutritionist Toby King said eating raw dogging could increase the risk of a blood clot that “can break loose 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’ve seen on social media in a long time, and while it seems innocent and a bit funny on the surface, this could have deadly consequences and I urge people to use common sense when travelling,” she told the travel and adventure site. Inspiring ambitions.
Dr Gill Jenkins, who works in air ambulance transport, was blunt in describing those attacking flights, saying they were “idiots”.
He said that while avoiding the Internet and social media during a flight might be a good “digital detox… everything else is against medical advice.”
‘The risk that comes with flying long distances is that there is a risk of dehydration.
“If you don’t move, you run the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which is aggravated by dehydration,” he said. BBC.
The doctor, who is a family physician when not working on medical flights, also has some good advice on the more unpleasant side of rawdogging.
“Not going to the bathroom is stupid. If you need to go to the bathroom, you need to go to the bathroom,” he said.
Another young man who is popularizing the trend is Australian DJ Torren Foot.
“I did it non-stop, 15-hour flight to Melbourne. I counted to a million twice,” he boasted in a TikTok video while blinking hard as if struggling to stay awake.
‘No music, no movies, just flight map.’
One commenter under his post gently suggested that he didn’t actually count to a million twice, writing “18+ numbers per second for the entire flight is insane.”
Another wrote that the raw flight “was already impressive, we didn’t need the counting lie.”
A team of travel experts from the travel site Net flights They have also warned against this practice, stating that relaxing and sleeping during long flights helps control jetlag.
As well as not making the most of your money (if the cost of food and drink is part of the ticket price), experts say that not eating can cause “extreme fatigue and tiredness”.
‘Traveling can dehydrate you, which can lead to headaches, dizziness and fatigue.’
‘With low oxygen pressure on flights and a change in humidity levels, more water evaporates from our skin and lungs when we fly, so it becomes increasingly important to stay hydrated and consume fluids.’
Experts also warned that rather than getting any benefit from your digital detox, it could have the opposite effect.
‘Passengers who choose to stare into space on a long-haul flight may experience increased stress because, with nothing to do, they may start to overthink and the situation could spiral out of control.’
They also said that in-flight entertainment is there to be enjoyed, not deliberately ignored during an endurance test.
‘For most passengers going on holiday, enjoying the flight is the start of the holiday, so it’s the perfect time to relax and enjoy the journey.
‘We recommend that you enjoy your flight and, for maximum happiness, explore the onboard entertainment or do activities that allow you to unwind and take a well-deserved break.’
‘Passengers who choose to stare into space on a long-haul flight may experience increased stress because, with nothing to do, they might start to overthink and the situation could spiral out of control.’
Elsa, a Sydney woman who recently returned from a trip to Europe, finds the whole idea of rawdogging ‘strange’.
“Why would anyone want to do that? This isn’t the 90s where you had to watch a particular movie at a particular time,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘On airplanes, people watch thousands of hours of movies and TV shows. I don’t understand what benefit anyone can get from staring straight ahead for hours on end.
“Most of the people doing this seem to be Gen Z men. Are they trying to prove how tough they are? It’s crazy.”