Travel plan idea blog

Two places to find a bargain this summer: the world's longest yard sale and Alabama's unclaimed baggage center

If you live in the United States, you have probably come across at least one yard sale this summer. Most of them are small affairs, held in somebody’s front yard, garage or perhaps larger ones held in church halls, community centers or schools. But if you want to experience the so-called world’s longest yard sale, head to the Southeast

The yard sale stretches for almost 600 miles, from Covington, Kentucky to Gadsden, Alabama. It’s also known as the Highway 127 corridor sale, as it stretches along that rather picturesque highway. It’s impossible to estimate how many vendors and visitors the event attracts, but if you want to be part of it, this year’s longest yard sale takes place from August 2nd to August 5th.

The Highway 127 corridor sale might mix well with one of the following trips since they also involve Kentucky and / or Alabama:

Road trip from the movie Elizabethtwon
Coal mine tourism
NASCAR infield party at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama: Constellation movie tourism

Another place to find a bargain is at the unclaimed baggage center in Scottsboro, Alabama. This place is a sort of vast second hand store whose stock consists entirely of things people left on planes, or bags and contents that were lost or never claimed. The store was found in 1970 as a part time business, now it covers an entire city block and is a full time venture and apparently is quite a tourist attraction.

It’s hard to believe that people can leave musical instruments, computers, expensive jewelry and false limbs on the plane – but you can find them all in here, along with books, clothes and household items.

So how does your luggage end up here? Most bags are simply delayed rather than permanently lost, but if your airline does lose your bag, after about 90 days the airline will declare your luggage officially lost. At this point they have to offer you compensation if they have not already done so. If you are never reunited with your luggage, there is a reasonable chance it may end up in the unclaimed baggage center.

And the airlines seem to be losing more bags than ever before which means even more chance of finding a bargain at the unclaimed baggage center.

Guest entry by Mancunian

I'm in the airport waiting for my flight, a 14 hour Seoul to New York leaving at 7:30 PM and arriving at 8:40 PM... At least it will be almost time for bed when I arrive...

Posted by James Trotta at July 20, 2007 6:27 AM | TrackBack