Desperate Measures (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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What are the two dangerous travel stories shared in this episode?
Today I'm going to tell you two stories about people who basically unknowingly risked everything just to travel to their dream locations. And they didn't realize they were in danger until it was already too late. But before we get into today's stories... If you're a fan of the Strange, Dark, and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right place because that's all we do and we upload two, three, even four times a week. So if that's of interest to you, please promise the follow button a luxurious trip to Paris, but don't tell them you're sending them to Paris, Texas. Okay, let's get into our first story, which is called Baggage Claim.
On the morning of Monday, January 7th, 1985, a 31 year old man arrived at an international airport in order to board his flight to the United States. The man was very nervous. His heart was beating fast and his palms were sweating so much that he could barely hold the handles of his very heavy tan colored suitcase. And the reason he was so nervous is because he was feeling very conflicted about what he was about to do. On the one hand, this trip was something he'd been dreaming of for months. and it was supposed to represent the start of a great brand new life. Now, this man hadn't actually packed very many personal items to take with him. But one thing he had brought was a little bound book full of photographs, which showed what mattered the most to him.
And what mattered the most was waiting for him in America. But on the other hand, the man was terrified. Because before he could begin this brand new life, he had a huge problem he needed to take care of. And that problem was why he needed to drop off his very heavy suitcase without anybody looking inside of it. And so now, inside the airport... The very nervous man stopped and readjusted his grip on the suitcase handles and then made his way over to the ticketing area, where he would check his bag for his almost 11-hour flight to California. And then, you know, once he touched down and they landed in California, he could get off the plane, go to the baggage carousel and get his luggage, and then everything would be fine.
Now, of course, he knew this was a big gamble. If it had been possible, he would have just brought this bag with him on the plane to stow it in the overhead bin, but he just couldn't do it because the bag was too big, too heavy. And so really his only other choice, if he wanted the suitcase to make it to California, was to check it like he was doing because the alternative was leaving it behind and there was no way he was going to do that. He cared far too much about what was inside of this luggage. And so by the time the man actually got in line in the ticketing and baggage check area, He was so stressed out that he was beginning to feel physically ill. By the time he got to the front of the line, he still felt very sick, but he composed himself enough that he walked up to the counter of the airline he was traveling with, which was Lufthansa Airline, and the employee who was working behind the counter was very cheerful, and they greeted the man and took his passport to verify his information.
Then the employee put down the passport... and then reached out his hand and gestured for the nervous man to give him his very important suitcase. This was, of course, the moment the man had feared the most. You know, when everything could really go astray. But, as calm as he could, he lifted up the suitcase, and for a second he almost panicked because it was just so obviously heavy. He realized the employee might make him open it right there because it just seemed wrong that this suitcase was that heavy.
How did the first traveler risk everything at the airport?
And he knew if that happened, he was done for. He'd be arrested immediately. But instead, the employee just dragged the heavy suitcase over to a conveyor belt behind the counter. And the nervous man watched as the employee heaved the suitcase onto the belt. and the man kept his eyes locked on the suitcase as it rolled down the belt and then disappeared through a pair of rubber flaps at the very end.
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