Is "Rawdogging" a flight as awful as it sounds?

As dignity has officially disembarked planes around the world, distraction has become an essential part of air travel. And it's easy to keep busy: seatback entertainment systems on airlines like Delta offer a host of new releases and classics – Bob Fosse’s elusive All That Jazz was streamable on a recent flight, for example, which I had to buy a DVD of to watch on solid ground; airport stalwarts like Hudson News have racks of bestsellers and magazines for anyone who might have forgotten their reading at home. It's as ingrained in us to download playlists before boarding as it is to remove our shoes going through airport security. Plug in, zone out, and leave that body of yours that’s folded uncomfortably into an economy seat. That's the ritual. But not everyone, it seems, is so keen on diversion.

The latest trend in travel has a vulgar name that perhaps speaks to the lows we've reached in air travel. It’s called “rawdogging” and refers to the practice, in some measure, of adopting a monk-like asceticism whilst flying. The minimum expectation is that participants abstain from most all forms of entertainment in the air: no movies or television use, nor music through the free earbuds. Not even analogue entertainment like a paperback or journal to write in. The only exception is the real-time flight tracker, the tiny token of an airplane inching imperceptibly closer and closer to the final destination. When told about this sensation, a friend recently mused, “A watched flight never lands.”

Paradoxically, the way that I, and now you, have been forced to learn about rawdogging travel is through social media – namely, practitioners recording videos of themselves (or having someone else record the video) staring blankly ahead as time passes, and then uploading them to TikTok to boast about the duration of their rigour. GQ interviewed 26-year-old London rawdogger West, for example, upon whose videos one commenter wrote, “Yup, from London to Miami this week… pure bareback, no food or water.”

For anyone uncertain, that’s a nine-and-a-half-hour flight endured without sustenance. But also: no water! As teased, the most extreme cases of rawdogging see netizens touting abstinence from hydration in addition to the more frivolous creature comforts that typically offer distraction on long-haul flights. Fasting is not an unusual practice among travellers — avoid the bloat by avoiding that salty food, some preach – but the quasi-religious aspect of such intense deprivation bolsters the note that West’s interview ends on: that the practice is meditative, and at its heights, puts him in touch with himself in ways that are ordinarily inaccessible.

Is rawdogging as mindful as these guys claim? Is it really meditation dressed up in the clothing of an edgy male internet? Is it all just a performance – does it matter if it starts out that way before becoming something else? Perhaps most importantly, is it even safe to go a whole long-haul flight without taking a sip of water?

To answer these questions and more, we turned to a few experts.

Is “rawdogging” just a place-specific term for meditation?

Yes. Carlos Diaz, who leads the meditation practice at The Ranch Malibu’s new Hudson Valley outpost, defines meditation as being “more present, relaxed, and aware of what’s happening in your body and mind.” To find the beauty, the miracle, in our most mundane settings – and in fact, to watch the flight tracker and develop an awareness of the great lengths you are travelling and places you are passing over, can be grounding: “If this is going to stir something in you where you can fall in love with yourself and your immediate environment, then it’s working. If you’re just doing it to post about it, then you might be touching on some elements but missing the point. It’s about your intention. You can shift from ‘doing’ to ‘being’ and observe without constant action.”

Diaz goes further to highlight the setting of air travel as being particularly conducive to meditation, saying, “You are literally above the clouds, and this should help you shift your perspective on life – reconsider how important the little things down below are, how incredible it is that you are able to fly through the air.” It’s a different state of mind – and taking media out of the equation naturally leads to this place.

Will Schneider, host of Men Talking Mindfulness, is similarly excited about the trend, saying, “Think about it like a candle wick meditation, where you watch the flame burn and burn and that’s all you do.” He also expresses disappointment in the mounting critique that the online trend was just another form of “toxic masculinity,” as this is, in fact, a case of participating men keeping to themselves. It’s worth mentioning that, since the initial flood of male posters like West, ample footage has been uploaded of women doing the same thing. Schneider also counters my point about posting such activity being antithetical to its purpose with, “Social media isn’t going away, but this is one instance where sharing what you’re doing could get someone else to try something new and good as well.”

Don’t be daunted by the prospect of such ceaseless alone time, either. Diaz notes that a common misconception from sceptical or nervous clients is that meditation just doesn’t work for them and that they cannot manually empty their minds. “It’s not about stopping the mind. It’s about observing it without changing it, judging it, or engaging it.”

Can you drink water while rawdogging?

Abstaining from food and water while rawdogging is not necessary, and doing the latter is unwise. Nutritionist Dani O’Brien recommends opting out of this element of the trend. “As a dietician, I would never recommend not drinking water, especially on an airplane which is known to be an externally dehydrating environment,” says O’Brien, “You need water for your systems to work properly, including your brain if this is being done for mindfulness.”

Skipping food while flying, especially in the short haul, is nothing new to O’Brien, who says, “I have seen people forego food and drink for digestive reasons, and it makes sense that that would feel better. When the cabin pressure changes, it leads to bloating and gas, and that, combined with the hyper-processed, salty food on the plane, can be hard to digest. You can always bring your own food if that is what concerns you.” O’Brien also advises being mindful of time zone changes, wherein a dedicated fast might lead to tanked blood sugar when you land which accentuates jet lag.

Julia Zumpano, a dietician with Cleveland Clinic, concurs: “I would recommend hydrating with an electrolyte water, especially if you’re not eating, which can help moderate your stomach and blood pressure.” Zumpano, who recommends a number of fasting programs as part of her work, is not an advocate for dry fasting – i.e., no water – least of all when air travel is involved.

Zumpano also comes back to intentionality with regard to the water, saying, “I would encourage anyone doing this to think about the benefits of what they are doing. I think no entertainment on the flight is great. I understand not eating food. But there is no benefit to skipping water.”

If you're going to rawdog, do so with intention.