Here’s the “naked” truth.
It’s been a rollercoaster year with TikTok travel trends. Some have been good, while others are really ill-advised (raw-dogging is bad, people!). As the year comes to an end, another TikTok trend is making the rounds and this one is a bit puzzling. “Flying naked,” or taking a flight without baggage or carry-on is the “big new craze,” but unless it’s a day trip, what do you do without any of your possessions?
@lostwithlucy flying to spain with nothing but vibes 💯 #spontaneoussummer ♬ pass the dutchie sped up – vevonix
Traveling light takes on a new meaning when you don’t have anything on you. It’s not a novel concept, though—proponents of ultra-light travel have been talking about it for years. In 2011, Rolf Potts started a no-baggage challenge, and Reddit also has recommendations (and comments) on how to do it practically.
There are perks, of course. Airline fees for carry-on baggage and check-in have turned exorbitant. In the U.S., airlines made around $7 billion through baggage fees alone last year. The ultra-low-budget airlines rake in big bucks when your bag exceeds dimensions. One passenger was even made to pay extra charges at the gate when the bag exceeded the limit by two centimeters. Airlines pay $10 to each gate agent who makes a passenger check in a bag.
Travelers have tried to beat the system by wearing layers upon layers to airports or stuffing their clothes in pillowcases. It doesn’t always end up well. A passenger was kicked off a flight for wearing 10 shirts and eight pairs of pants. And this summer, Frontier caught wind of the pillow hack, and a passenger was booted off the flight.
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There’s another aspect of “flying naked”: avoiding the woes of checked bags. Not only is it expensive, it’s also uncomfortable and stressful to fly with a check-in bag. Airlines are known to misplace or delay luggage, which opens a whole new can of travel-woe worms. Even with Apple Tags and Tiles, sometimes airlines still can’t locate your bags (though some are partnering with Apple now to become more tech-savvy about it).
So flying naked, in essence, saves a lot of trouble—that of paying for luggage, checking it in, and waiting at the carousel are all scraped. It’s also freeing: with just a backpack full of noise-cancellation headphones, chargers, a refillable bottle, and some snacks, you’re set.
But here’s the scary part: what do you do after you land if it’s a long trip? If you don’t have any personal belongings, you may have to shop, which isn’t a sustainable solution. Or you’ll have to ship everything, which is also not sustainable or cheap. Shipping might even end up being more expensive than paying baggage fees. Not that it can’t be done—a couple pulled off weeks of travel without any bags and called it “liberating”. They just wore the same clothes every day and washed them at night.
Unless you’re traveling to a place where you have your earthly belongings or you’re doing a day trip, it will be a lot more complicated or uncomfortable. Bag or no bag, choose wisely.
Related: There’s Another Viral TikTok Travel Trend That’s a Really, Really Bad Idea
