‘Naked flying’ is the new ‘raw-dogging’

A survey of 1000 travellers over the age of 18 undertaken by Send My Bag has found that just under half (48 per cent) believe airlines deliberately profit from confusing baggage policies, while 37 per cent have paid up to $200 in excess baggage fees in the past 12 months alone.

The solution? “Naked flying”, where you board your flight with zero luggage. Just your wallet, phone and charger.

This is what international traveller, Rachel Kelly, 28 from Melbourne, elected to do when she relocated from Ireland in January this year to pursue teaching. Rachel was quoted $1000 to bring an extra bag onboard her flight so she opted to have it shipped directly and saved $600 in the process.

“I don’t think it’s fair to slap people with huge fines for baggage such as carry-on, when they are already at the airport,” says Rachel. “I understand It’s fair to charge for a checked-in bag, but the prices are absolutely extortionate, it’s really not worth it.”

Now a resident in Australia, Rachel has the same philosophy when travelling domestically too. “If I’m travelling with an airline like Jetstar with the 7kg limit, I’ll hide my handbag under my coat or wear seven jumpers if needed so I don’t get stung with excess baggage fees.”

She continues, “I get nervous doing it, for fear someone would catch me, but sometimes it has to be done as I would be raging if I had to pay the fine for my bag being over the weight limit. Usually I’ll take my bag out once I’m on the plane.”

Rachel is not alone. According to the survey, nearly one in three have worn multiple layers of clothing in order to avoid extra charges, with the main proponents of the trend being Gen Z and Millennials. When TikToker Helena P’s brother elected to board a 22-hour international flight without anything but nose-cancelling headphones she called it a “beige flag” but added that it was also a symptom of his privilege – especially as a younger sibling.

But the trend doesn’t always involve such underhanded strategies or privilege and can be as straightforward as carrying a phone and a wallet aboard your flight. Airlines often permit two items of carry-on baggage, so there is enough space to bring your handbag and laptop with you.

But for those who want the feeling of absolute freedom, choosing to go without carry-on, you don’t have to go straight to the Full Monty. There are reportedly three levels of the trend.

Pocket People: Stuffing every jacket and cargo pants pocket to the brim.

Delivery Crew: Shipping essentials to their destination or borrowing from your mates on arrival. Though the latter relies on generous friends who are the same size as you.

Totally Bare: No bags, just essentials in-hand – think phone, charger, wallet.

It remains to be seen, though, if anyone is courageous enough to combine raw dogging with naked flying, boarding a plane with nothing but their ticket and a phone, switched to airplane mode.

‘Holiday wardrobes’ are also helping people fly naked

In 2023 Japan Airlines began spruiking a new service called Any Wear Anywhere which allowed travellers to have rental clothes delivered to their hotel when they arrived at their destination in Japan.

The aim was to “provide a travel experience with minimal luggage” and contribute to sustainability in the fashion industry (all of the clothes stocked by Any Wear, Anywhere are either excess inventory or used pieces originally meant to be discarded).

It’s also estimated that by using the service and cutting down your luggage by 10kg you reduce your carbon footprint (it’s estimated to be a 7.5kg CO2 reduction).