Rawdog travel has been trending on TikTok. Even though some might associate the term “rawdogging” with a very different definition, rawdogging a flight or ride has nothing to do with having unprotected sex. It is, however, a new way of trying to reconnect with one’s surroundings by concentrating fully on the present.
The rawdog travel trend has been gaining popularity ever since the launch of Apple TV’s Hijack series, in which Sam Nelson (played by Idris Elba) spends a whole Dubai to London flight staring stoically in front of him. This has inspired social media users to do the same and many of them are raving about the results. By doing absolutely nothing during their flight or ride – no headphones, no iPads, no books – and instead concentrating on their surroundings, they are coupling their voyage with a digital detox.
“Just rawdogged my 7 hour flight from NYC to London. No entertainment, no headphones, no books, no blanket or pillow – just pure vibes. The mind is capable of amazing things. My mind knows no limits. I am operating in a different spiritual realm. I am an enlightened spiritual being. 7 hours of pondering will change a man”, TikTok user @kareemrahma posted.
Even though @kareemrahma took things to a maybe somewhat extreme level, all fans of the raw dog travel movement are adapting the trend to their own taste. Some do use the time for a welcome nap, others mainly look at the clouds and their co-passengers. The inflight screen, showing information about the flight and the destination, seems to be the only digital exception to the no-distractions rule of rawdogging.
If avoiding any form of entertainment during a long flight isn’t up your alley, putting your phone down just for a couple of minutes might already help your mind to calm down. Allowing yourself access to pen and paper in order to scribble your thoughts away can also work great as a form of mindfulness, without however leaving you entirely entertain-less.
