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17th August 2024
12:21pm BST
An expert has detailed the potential dangers of the 'rawdogging' trend and has warned travellers against taking part in it.
'Rawdogging' a flight is a travel trend that became popular earlier this summer where passengers forego in-flight entertainment, music, snacks, and sleep, enduring long flights with no distractions.
Instead of watching films or listening to music, the ‘rawdogger’ just sits silently and watches the real-time flight map on the screen in front of them, for the entire trip.
The idea has become something of a viral trend recently, with men sharing their own ‘rawdogging experiences’ online.
Even Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, has jokingly given the challenge a go while travelling with his squad during the pre-season tour.
@footballjoe Erling Haaland raw dogs a 7 hour flight 🤣 #erlinghaaland #haaland #footballtiktok #premierleague ♬ original sound - •MÛŠÎX•
While many see it as harmless fun, Toby King - a Cardiff-based nutritionist and personal trainer - has warned that this trend could increase the risk of blood clots, which "can break off and cause a blockage of the arteries in the lung, which is very serious and can cause death.
Speaking to travel site Inspire Ambitions, King said: "The trend requires you to sit still for hours at a time and not take in any food or liquids. This is a recipe for disaster that could have terrifying consequences.
"This is one of the most dangerous trends I have seen on social media in a while."
He added: "While it looks innocent and a bit of fun on the surface, this could have deadly consequences, and I would urge people to use sense when traveling."
"Keeping hydrated can help your skin and mucous membrane cells to keep bacteria from entering your body, and makes you more susceptible to infection, especially when you are surrounded by hundreds of others in a confined area.
"Getting sick at the beginning of your holiday isn’t a great way to start it," he added.
"Immobility and dehydration can increase the risk of a blood clot when travelling, two factors that this trend is promoting.
"If you do get a clot when travelling it can break off and cause a blockage of the arteries in the lung which is very serious and can cause death."
King also advised that to avoid getting clots when flying, you should move around ideally every hour or at least for 5 minutes every two hours and drink a glass of water for each hour that you are in the air.
A TikTok user, who goes by the handle @westwashere, racked up almost 300,000 likes on a video of him completing a “7 hour flight only watching the maps.”
@westwashere Anyone else bareback flights? #flying #planes #fyp ♬ BAND4BAND - Central Cee & Lil Baby
Speaking about the reasoning for ‘rawdogging’ – or ‘barebacking’ – flights, West told GQ that he had “got sick of watching the same movies” on flights, and said consuming no entertainment on a flight was like a form of meditation.
He told the publication: “Visually, you are kind of impaired. You only get to look at the seat in front of you, to your right or left if you’re at the window. All you hear is that drumming sound of the engine. It’s just white noise.”
Another man said they can’t focus “on anything on a plane” because they’re a nervous flier, so he’s used the flight map as his only entertainment on a plane for years.
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