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Trends have been around for eons. As social media becomes more popular, trends have turned into “challenges,” some of which are, let’s admit it, pretty stupid.

“Rawdogging” was one of the more recent challenges. Although I thought it was kind of a stupid thing to do, it wasn’t dangerous like other social media trends (such as this TikTok hack that could get you banned from the airline, or this one that could potentially get you killed), so I decided to give it a try. Here’s my report on that (spoilers: it was indeed stupid).

Of course, trends change. Rawdogging is out and what’s in now? Flying naked.

Flying naked? Say WHAT?

Before anyone gets their knickers bunched up, “flying naked” has nothing to do with not wearing any clothes (and let’s take a brief moment to thank the heavens for that). Instead, it means flying with as minimal belongings as possible.

It’s the latest cost-saving hack among budget-conscious travelers who don’t want to pay for checked bags or, for tickets that require payment for a carry-on, that fee, either. Essentially, it’s a minimalist approach to air travel.

People who “fly naked” say it’s more than just flying with next to nothing. Besides not having to pay airlines extra out of pocket, they boast about the freedom of not having to wait at the carousel, not worrying about bags being lost, saving the planet by lowering one’s carbon footprint (because you don’t have as much “stuff,” you weigh less as a passenger load, thereby reducing fuel usage), etc.

How they do it

There are a couple of categories of flying naked:

• Totally Bare: travelers carry only the essentials like a phone, a charger, and their wallet
• Pocket People/Pocket Person: they fill their pockets with extra items
• Delivery Crew: these people ship their luggage ahead to their destination

“Flying naked” is simple – travelers board their flights with nothing but the clothes on their backs and maybe a couple of essentials tucked into whatever they’re carrying with them. Some cheat by stuffing items into a duty free bag. Others, like “Delivery Crew” don’t have baggage with them because they’ve shipped it to wherever they’re going. Still others buy clothes/toiletries at their destination, which they then donate (thereby negating saving money) or toss (thereby negating saving the planet) at the end of their trip.

It’s not for everybody

“Flying naked” is admittedly not for everyone. Or, for that matter, even for most people.

I suppose if you’re flying to your parents’ house, and they haven’t dumped all of your old clothes, you might be able to do it. Or if you’re flying to a location, and back, on the same day (I did that on a business trip, years ago; TPA to FLL that morning and FLL to TPA early that evening). I can get shipping your stuff ahead of time (and have even done so on one or two occasions). But otherwise? Flying naked isn’t a particularly practical or realistic way to fly.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary