TikTok always seems to keep up with the latest trends and when it comes to travel, raw-dogging is the latest attraction. What does this mean for travelers and is this a good thing? Read on to find out more about raw-dogging and what exactly the trend entails.

New viral TikTok travel trend is raw-dogging flights

Raw-dogging flights is one of TikTok’s latest viral travel trends with many travelers posting about it. But what does this trend entail? The name might sound like something bad, but when it relates to travel, it isn’t a bad thing – it’s just one trend some travelers might find difficult to accomplish.

Basically, raw-dogging is about travelers on long-haul flights who forego any form of entertainment. They watch no movies, play no music, or even read magazines and books. They literally do nothing but watch the little airplane tracker making its way across the screen to show the latest location.

Some describe it as a “bare bones” experience, which does explain the name “raw-dog.” Meanwhile, it could relate to a five-hour flight or a long haul of 15 hours. For many of us, that sounds extremely difficult, but maybe it could be a spiritual journey.

Travel digital detox

Travel Nine quotes Michael Ceely, who once spent a four-hour flight just looking out the window or watching the flight map. He read no magazines, watched no movies, or listened to podcasts. Meanwhile, Ceely is a therapist who specializes in working with men and he describes raw-dogging as a form of digital detox and meditation.

“I was tired of the usual routine of watching a movie or reading a book (onboard) so I said, ‘I’m just going to kind of stare off into space, and use it as a Zen meditation,'” Ceely said of his experience.

Moreover, he explained that it can be difficult to get some men to embrace anything “spiritual” like mindfulness or meditation.

The trend is growing

One travel TikToker Michelle, captioned a video, “I have never seen so many people raw dogging a flight in my life.” The video then offers a wider look at the plane’s cabin where the screens on several sets are open to the map function. She added, “This was a FIVE HOUR flight from NYC to SF.”

Meanwhile, TikToker @torrenfoot clearly travels a lot, as his TikTok page reveals many clips of him in the process of raw-dogging. Moreover, he added bathroom breaks to the list of things not to do while on the flight. Meanwhile, he even boasted that he counted to one million twice.

The new travel trend first gained popularity for TikTokers earlier this spring and now is becoming a challenge for other travelers to achieve. While it does give travelers time to disconnect and be with their own thoughts, it is not an easy task but is apparently for travelers of any age.

Readers, could you attempt raw-dogging on your next flight? Alternatively, have you noticed anyone on a recent flight just staring at that little plane on the screen? Let us know by dropping a comment below.