A better way to ‘raw-dog’ travel

The viral trend of enduring long flights with no phones, screens or distractions recently captured the world’s attention. But what if we remain unplugged once we step off a plane?

It’s all about the power of the mind – or so they say. The viral trend of “raw-dogging” long flights, where passengers stare straight ahead without any in-flight entertainment, books, music or screens, and refrain from eating, drinking or sleeping for the entire journey, captured the world’s attention this summer. Manchester City forward Erling Haaland posted a video of himself on a seven-hour flight, boasting “no phone, no sleep, no water, no food”. He wasn’t the only celebrity to get in on the act, with Australian music producer Torren Foot and actor and musician Jared Leto also sharing their respective 15- and 17- hour raw-dogging experiences.

While it may be easy to dismiss raw-dogging (and its rather obscene name) as foolish or even nihilistic, it undoubtedly says something about our digital dependency: we’re so reliant on external stimuli that going without distractions for several hours is now considered a “challenge”. Yet, studies have shown that focusing on the present and being mindful can have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, including reducing anxiety, depression and blood pressure while improving sleep. Excessive smartphone use, meanwhile, can be detrimental to our physical and mental well-being, and it impacts everything from our sleep routines to our musculoskeletal health. That should be your cue to power off and sit up straighter.

As with every viral challenge, there’s a darker side to raw-dogging. Medical professionals warn that in extreme cases, where participants avoid drinking water, moving or even using the bathroom on long flights, the viral trend is so dangerous it could even kill you.

While avoiding external stimuli is counterintuitive to travel, I still wondered whether there was something deeper or even mindful about the digital detox part of the raw-dogging trend that I could apply to my trip once I stepped off a plane.

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