Dangerous TikTok travel trends for 2025

The dangerous TikTok travel trends, which range from renting motorbikes without licences to visiting some of the world’s most dangerous countries, like Iraq and Afghanistan, have each gained millions of views and may be inspiring people to take unnecessary risks while abroad.

“There is a concerning rise in risky travel trends fuelled by social media,” said Tim Riley, Managing Director of True Traveller. “These trends can lead to serious, often life-threatening situations and are unlikely to be covered by travel insurance. We advise people to check with their insurer to find out if certain activities are covered, avoid anything obviously reckless, and importantly adhere to the rules and customs of the countries they visit.”

Top five most dangerous travel trends on TikTok:

1. #WarTourism 
   Travellers visiting war-torn destinations like Afghanistan, Ukraine or North Korea to seek a thrill in some of the most dangerous locations on Earth are exposing themselves to potentially life-threatening situations. The trend for #WarTourism seems to be increasing, promoting visits to politically unstable and restricted areas of the world, despite there being Foreign Office travel advisories against them – meaning that any travel insurance would be invalid.
    
2. #Motorbike rentals abroad
   Tourists, especially in destinations like Bali, Thailand, and Vietnam, are renting motorbikes without proper licences or experience. This has resulted in a surge of accidents involving inexperienced drivers in busy, unpredictable traffic. Travellers are urged to check their policy wording before renting a motorbike.
    
3. #BoatJumpingChallenge
   Jumping from speeding boats for an adrenaline rush has led to serious injuries and even fatalities, with the impact of hitting water at high speeds causing severe trauma. The trend, under the hashtag #BoatJumpingChallenge, draws in thrill-seekers unaware of the dangers involved.
    
4. #Rawdogging long flights 
   This recent trend encourages people to avoid food, water, and entertainment on long flights to increase their sense of ‘presence’. However, going without eating or drinking can cause severe dehydration, fatigue, and possible health complications.
    
5. #Seatbeltsleephack
   This new trend involves people fastening the airline seatbelt around their ankles with their feet up on the seats to provide a more comfortable sleeping position on a plane. However, despite this trend generating millions of TikTok views, it increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot issue associated with flying, as well as being an unsafe position if in-flight turbulence occurs.

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