A daredevil traveler who became famous for the comforting way he reassured his mother during his global adventures now wants to send her the message from space.
Jonathan Kubben, 34, photographed himself holding a giant sign reading “Mom, I’m OK” to leave his mother Imelda Quinonez, in Mexicoknow that he is safe.
We last covered Jonathan’s travels in 2016. And he’s still here to tell his mom he’s “fine”… and here we feature some of his latest images from around the world. The photos show the Belgium-based influencer holding the sign while climbing buildings, swimming with sharks and jumping out of planes.
Revealing what could be the final chapter in his ‘Mum, I’m Fine’ photo series, Jonathan reveals to MailOnline Travel the surprise he’s planning for Imelda. “I want to be the first person to send a message to their mother in space and transmit it to a satellite”,’ he says.
“We are negotiating with the European Commission to see if it is possible or not. The idea is that the satellite would circle the Earth several times a day, giving it several opportunities to see the message. I think this will be the last photo of “Mom, I’m OK”. I don’t think I can do better. What more can I do: send the message from Mars?
As he plans what could be his final “Mom, I’m Fine” stunt, Jonathan, who has 584,000 followers on his account @jonathankubben Instagram page and whose videos have accumulated a total of 100 million views, looks back on some of the messages sent to his mother during his travels to some 80 countries. Scroll down to see her highlights.
Jonathan took this photo to reassure his mother from the summit of Ijen, an active volcano on the island of Java in Indonesia
Jonathan said: “My mum had doubts when I first went on the trip, but now she’s so happy and super proud now that she’s seen what it turned out to be.” The photo above was taken in Monaco
The former consultant’s world travels took him to Cenote Suytun, above, located outside the city of Valladolid in Mexico.
Mexican airline Volaris displayed Jonathan’s “Mom, I’m OK” message on one of its planes before a flight to the United States.
Jonathan is pictured here at the Taj Mahal in India, reassuring his mother, who, he reveals, is unaware of his travel plans. He said: “She doesn’t want to know in advance. She discovers it later and like that, she is not afraid.
Imelda is happy to see Jonathan’s success: he now has his own show on Belgian national television. She also appeared in the series which follows Jonathan’s life. Here it is photographed at Machu Picchu, Peru
This striking image shows Jonathan’s ‘Mom, I’m fine’ message displayed illuminated on the Grand Place in his hometown – Brussels
The influencer gave a Ted talk in Brussels about her “Mom, I’m fine” project and her idea to travel the world for free
Perhaps one of the boldest photos shows Jonathan swimming with sharks off the coast of Playa del Carmen in Mexico.
Jonathan shared his message while celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Prayagraj, India.
“My mom was definitely nervous about me traveling,” Jonathan says. “Whether I was at the top of the Atomium in Brussels dressed as an astronaut (photo) or doing stunts on vacation, she would be scared”
Recalling some of his experiences in South America, Jonathan says he lived with a tribe in the Amazon and lived as a miner in Bolivia, where he is photographed climbing the Huayana Potosi mountain.
This photo shows a rare occasion when Jonathan asked another person to post his “Mom, I’m OK” message. This image was taken in Marrakech, Morocco
Throughout Jonathan’s travels, his message of reassurance has reached new heights, including this example of an aerial shot taken in Liège, Belgium.
Jonathan brought his “Mom, I’m OK” message to Los Angeles. Here he appeared on the side of a truck in front of Memorial Coliseum, right.
Jonathan says he had initially planned to return to his job as a communications consultant when he left his job to go traveling in 2016. Since then, his “Mom, I’m Fine” brand has reached millions of people and has leads to other businesses and projects. Above is an earlier photo taken after jumping out of a plane over Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Here, Jonathan is pictured working to support Unicef. The influencer launched a humanitarian project “Mom, I’m fine”, by building schools from recycled plastic for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Jonathan reveals another surprise he is planning for his mother (photo): fulfilling her dream of visiting Jerusalem. “My mother didn’t travel much,” he says. “For a long time she wanted to go to Jerusalem, so my goal in the next few months is to take her there”
