Ever wonder what happens to the bags that never make it to baggage claim? Some of them are now turning up in influencers’ lost luggage hauls.
It’s every traveler’s nightmare: you land, but your suitcase doesn’t. Across social media, creators are buying unclaimed luggage and unboxing the contents on camera.
@luciasland Part 1/2 – unboxing someone’s lost luggage 🫣✈️🌍 #lostluggage #traveltiktok #traveltok #lostandfound #airportlife
♬ original sound – Lucia🍸🍴
Most of the time it’s just piles of unwashed clothes, but the chance of uncovering valuables—or simply something bizarre—has fueled a viral trend.
In one viral video, a TikTok creator pulled out hair straighteners, Pokémon cards, and an iPad. In another, the haul included a Ziploc bag of an unidentified brown substance and a plug-in air freshener.
@beckysbazaar Replying to @hannahhuskinson5342 PART 2!! The most random selection of things were in this suitcase from @undelivrd 🤣🤣 Do you think it was worth £129?🤔🧳✈️ #lostluggage #suitcase #unclaimed #unclaimedmail #airport #thrifted #unboxingvideo #mystery #mysterybox
♬ original sound – Becky’s Bazaar
Nearly 92% of lost bags are eventually reunited with their owners. But if a bag goes unclaimed for three months, it’s sold off to third-party resellers. In the U.S., the Alabama-based Unclaimed Baggage store is the only retailer specializing in lost luggage, where items can be bought individually or in ">mystery boxes.
In the U.K., shops now auction off suitcases to the highest bidder, sight unseen. That element of surprise makes for good content, and many unboxing hauls rack up &t=2s">millions of views from curious onlookers eager to peek inside a stranger’s life.
If you’re worried about your own belongings being unboxed online, know that the risks are highest on international flights, where mishandling is five times more likely than on domestic routes, according to a 2024 report from the International Society of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA). Of the 33.4 million mishandled bags that year, 8% were lost or stolen.
If your missing suitcase ever does resurface in one of these mystery hauls, you might get your items back, though sometimes only by buying them back piece by piece.
Accedi per aggiungere un commento
Altri post in questo gruppo
Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanes
When an influencer gets married, it’s safe to assume much of the cost, from venue decor to personalized invitations, has been comped in exchange for content. Now brides with smaller, more modest f
Welcome, and thanks for reading this issue of Fast Company’s Plugged In.
On August 22, President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that the U.S. federal government had acq
Some of the most ambitious cancer science is happening in a disease few outside of oncology can name, and it’s revealing a future where cancer is no longer a death sentence.
Multiple mye
For years, advocacy groups made it easy for Americans to weigh in on federal regulations. If a proposed rule threatened internet freedoms or environmental protections, organizations could set up s
Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in
