Adventures of Parachute Man

This is the story of a travel tradition that started in Newport, RI before my wife and I were married. While poking around in the various shops in town we came across a cool little toy store and spotted Parachute Man by the counter. We thought it would be fun to have a mascot to travel with us, and he was it. His first jump was from our hotel room window, thus beginning a tradition we honor on every trip we take together.

Parachute Man has been to Europe, Canada, and to many of the 50 states I have been to – all the ones my wife and I visited together. Not only does he make at least one jump on each trip, we hang him from the rearview mirror of our rental car to keep him with us - and to make it easier to spot our car. We’ve taken him on so many trips that a couple of years ago we had to get a new traveling companion when the ring holding his parachute on broke during a jump. He was not injured in that incident, but we didn’t feel right about letting him continue to fly like that.

In Chincoteague, VA he was almost blown into the water outside our hotel right near the spot my car almost took a dip as my wife was turning it around in the dark. He’s jumped from hotel rooms, towers, lighthouses, viewing platforms, rooves, balconies, and pretty much any high spot we could find, including the top deck of a cruise ship – no need for Coast Guard rescue on that one as he landed perfectly on the ship’s main deck. In Sorrento, Italy we tossed him from our 4th floor window for a slow descent down to the street – which becomes a pedestrian way at night – much to the puzzlement of the locals out for their evening stroll. We get a lot of strange looks whenever we fly him in public, but that’s part of the fun. The last two summers our nieces and nephew got in on the flights, launching him in Annapolis and on Kent Island, MD. At first they thought we were just their crazy aunt and uncle, but after the first flight, they were looking for more launch points.

We’ve had so many adventures as we’ve traveled, and Parachute Man has been our companion for most of them. That little plastic figure attached to a parachute joined us as a joke, but he has become a source of fun for us and many of those witnessing his sometimes-harrowing flights. The simple child-like joy that comes from launching him on his flight or being down on the ground to catch him (while checking the wind, sometimes dodging people or traffic, or retrieving him from a tree, bushes, or someone else’s balcony) makes us smile for quite a while after and has resulted in some fun conversations with innocent bystanders who became involved.

Traveling with Parachute Man has become a tradition for us. It’s fun to have him along and to look for launch points at our destinations. What fun or silly traditions do you have with your family or friends? If you don’t have any, I strongly suggest starting one – or more. The sillier the better! Stuff like that keeps you young, connects you with others, and is just plain fun.

For a cool video from a Dad and his son, and an example of what the heck you just read about, check out this clip from YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg8M33RNlGQ

Note: There will likely be a brief ad from YouTube before the video starts.