New travel trend: ‘Low dogging’, a way to immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment

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Travel tips for enduring long flights while blocking cell phones, monitor screens, and other distractions have recently become a hot topic. But what happens when you travel and refrain from using electronic devices not only on the plane but also on the ground?

This behavior is said to be about mental strength. Enduring the flight by looking straight ahead without using the entertainment content, books, music, or monitor screen provided on the plane. This summer, attention was focused on “low dogging” long-distance flights, in which passengers refrain from eating, drinking, or even sleeping. Erling Holland, a striker for Manchester City in the English Premier League, is a representative example. He uploaded a video showing this to the Internet, saying, “I didn’t use my cell phone, sleep, drink, or eat anything” during the seven-hour flight. He wasn’t the only celebrity to post a low dogging video. Australian music producer Toren Foote and actor/musician Jared Leto also shared their experiences of 15 and 17 hours of rowdogging, respectively, online.

Low dogging (also used as a somewhat obscene slang term) may seem foolish or even nihilistic. However, this trend gives us a glimpse of how dependent we are on digital technology. We are overly dependent on external stimuli. Maintaining concentration for several hours is now a ‘challenge’ that people attempt to test their will. However, research shows that focusing on the present and being mindful can have a positive impact on health and well-being. It is said to be effective in lowering anxiety, depression, blood pressure, and improving sleep quality. On the other hand, excessive smartphone use can be detrimental to physical and mental well-being. It is known to affect everything from sleeping habits to musculoskeletal health. This is why you need to turn off your electronic devices right now and sit straight.

As with any ‘challenge’ that becomes a hot topic, low dogging also comes with concerns. Medical experts warn that extreme measures such as avoiding drinking water, moving or even using the bathroom during long-haul flights can be life-threatening.

And considering the nature of travel, blocking out external stimuli is counterintuitive. Nevertheless, I was curious about whether there was a ‘digital detox’ that could be applied to travel on earth.

Photo caption: Travelers often use their phones to explore new places

One of the main purposes of traveling is to have new experiences and escape from everyday life. But why are we tied to electronic devices and monitor screens like we do at home, even when we travel? Wouldn’t it make you feel different if you turned off your phone for the entire trip? I thought that being free from apps and phone notifications might allow me to connect more deeply with new environments and discover new ways in which people have traveled in the past.

So I tried a low dogging trip. It is a trip where you are immersed in an unfamiliar environment, without cell phones, social media, or any other distractions, and focus as much as possible on the moment.

Palma, a city in Mallorca, Spain that I visited, did not seem to be a travel destination suitable for general mindfulness. This is a famous sunny travel destination where many tourists enjoy tanning, partying, and sipping cocktails. This situation is also the reason why local residents oppose overtourism. As the city becomes increasingly overcrowded with party-goers and selfie-takers, local residents are fighting to take their city back. On this trip, I made it a goal to turn off my phone and meet these locals. I wanted to listen to the tours they recommended and find places that captured the soul of the city.

As soon as I arrived at the airport, I was fascinated by the city’s nature. I liked it so much that I decided to walk from the airport to my accommodation instead of taking a bus or taxi. The route to the accommodation was also easy to remember. When you get to the beach, turn left and walk along the coastline until you reach the road. Instead of listening to music or podcasts, I listened to the distant waves crashing on the beach. And I listened to the stories the locals shared in Mallorcan, a variant of Spanish and Catalan. These local sounds, honey-colored stone buildings, dramatic Gothic and Baroque buildings, and the many foreign tourists crowding the beach were imprinted in my first impression of Palma.

Photo caption, I went looking for a place where I could feel the soul of the city more in Palma, one of the places in Spain where overtourism is most serious.

In fact, I was so used to finding my location using the ‘Google Maps app’ on my phone. But since I didn’t use it, I became worried that I might be going down the wrong path. So I showed the women sitting outside a cafe the address I had written down in my notebook and asked them if I was going in the right direction. They nodded and even added a few hand gestures to show the way to their destination.

After swimming in the sea for a while, I boarded the bus. In the historic center of Palma, which I visited by bus, I met Erten, a 23-year-old Turkician who was studying in Mallorca. I asked him what travel destinations he recommended, and even the Mallorcan people next to me joined in and gave their own recommendations. One of them called me and pointed to the pop-up market lined up on the street outside the window. He shook his head and said, “These markets are for tourists. If you want to see the real market, go to Santa Catalina.” “I like it a lot better there.”

Erten was a pastry lover. He told me that no visit to Palma is complete without trying ensaimada (traditional Mallorcan coiled pastry traditionally filled with pig fat and eaten with coffee). As a vegan, I didn’t have high expectations. However, I soon learned that each bakery had its own unique characteristics in this dessert.

While traveling by bus, I got out of the car and discovered ‘Pone de la Soca’, a bakery run by a family. They said it was a place that had been resurrecting long-forgotten Mallorcan pastries and breads for the past 14 years. Here, they were making ‘canialone’ (pastry with cream), robiol (rolling bread filled with lamb or fruit), and ensaimada using various types of Mallorcan flour (bestite, jeixa, etc.) that were found again.

Photo caption, Mallorca Ensaimada and other local pastry shops ‘Ponet de la Soca’

The sweet ensaimada made at this bakery is filled with fruits grown in the nearby village of Soller. Other residents at the store told me to go to Soller. One grandmother, who packed bags full of ensaimada for her grandchildren, said Soller was particularly famous for its agricultural heritage, especially its precious citrus fruits. And another woman who was listening quietly next to me, as if she understood the intention of my trip, said emphatically, “You have to take a wooden train to get there.”

My next itinerary was thus decided, and the next afternoon I boarded the vintage train.

The train to Soller, with its old wooden cabin filled with rattling sounds, felt like going back in time. As the train left the cobbled streets of downtown Palma, the sight of bars full of German and British tourists disappeared. Instead, lush valleys and rugged peaks appeared. As the train slowly climbed the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana Mountains, I saw the true “spine” of Mallorca and was grateful to the locals who pushed me out of the city.

That morning, I was fascinated by Palma’s wonderful ‘Laceu Cathedral’ and stayed there for over an hour. But again, I fell in love with the Gothic church of Sant Bartomeu in the square near Soller. I sat in the square and drank coffee. Then I happened to talk to a Mallorcan grandfather who had lived there his whole life. He said that if you take a deep breath, you can smell the strong scent of oranges on the outskirts of town. And when he heard that I was Irish, he moved his fingers busily as if trying to remember something. After a moment he shouted, “Star Trek!” It turned out that Irish actor Colm Meaney (aka Miles O’Brien) lived nearby.

image copyrightAlamy

photo captionA vintage train from 1912 running between Palma and Soller

After returning to Palma, I continued to wander around looking for local stories. Windmills adorn the skyline of the bay of El Jonquette, the city’s historic fishing village. A woman who was recruiting boat tour users at the dock said that this windmill, which was used to grind grain and pump water, was a landmark of Mallorca’s past and that its history dates back to the 14th century. There were about 3,000 windmills preserved in this area. “Windmills are a symbol of our history,” he said with pride.

During my time here, I asked as many Mallorcans as I could how they would like tourists to behave when they come to their area. Besides ‘wear a shirt when walking around Palma’s old town’, one of the most common responses was ‘pay more attention to local culture’.

“Every place in Palma’s old town has its own history,” said Andrea Santioana, who opened a vegan restaurant with his mother four years ago. “It feels great when people ask about our restaurant and why we chose that area. “He said. “Mallorca’s stone is incredible and truly beautiful, and the rich history of each street is fascinating.”

On this trip, I was able to immerse myself in Palma in my own way, free from the compulsion to check off the list of tourist attractions on my phone. In fact, the idea of ​​finding a vegan restaurant by chance is attractive only until hunger sets in. If you get hungry, you’ll be satisfied with the typical Spanish patatas bravas (potatoes with tomato sauce). With water this isn’t a bad thing, but fortunately I was lucky. This is because I ate a high-protein, low-fat wheat dish topped with lemon cream at a vegan restaurant called ‘Ka’nella’ that I happened to discover, and enjoyed it until the last bite.

Photo caption: Turning off my phone helped me connect more with local residents

Through my trip to Palma and Soller, I was able to reaffirm the value of staying true to the present in an increasingly distracted world. Until now, I’ve relied on recommendations online when traveling. But as I put down my phone and listened only to local recommendations, I rediscovered the joy of spontaneity and connection that is at the heart of travel. Of course, smartphones can also be convenient travel companions. But at the same time, it can interfere with simple pleasures like following your curiosity down the street, approaching a stranger, or getting lost while wandering around a new neighborhood.

On the flight home, I overcame the urge to turn on the cell phone in my bag. I took out my notebook and recorded the places my conversations with local residents took me. These memories will later become much more meaningful information than any information I get from searching online and scrolling down with my mouse.