Man Completes 28-Year Journey Around the World on Foot

@karlcbushby Made it to the UK #karlbushby #golithexpedition ♬ original sound – Karl Bushby

Back in 1998, former British paratrooper Karl Bushby set off from his mother’s home in Hull with the goal of traveling the world by foot. Now, 28 years later, he’s reached the final stretch of his “Goliath Expedition,” which led him through jungles, deserts, mountains, and forests across the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Busby had originally planned to spend 12 years traveling around the world with just two rules: never use transport and don’t return to his hometown of Hull unless he could arrive on foot. If circumstances forced him to stop or change course, Bushby allowed himself to use public transport, as long as he restarted his journey from exactly where he had stopped. After a series of setbacks, from financial crises and pandemics to visa bans, wars, and bureaucratic hurdles, Busby’s journey took more than double the intended amount of time, but he never wavered from the plan.

Unable to circle the globe entirely on foot, Bushby set out to cover as much of the world as he could by walking. He first flew to South America, where he started walking from the southernmost city on the continent, Punta Arenas in Chile. He then made his way across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, before swimming the English Channel to arrive in Dover. The determined adventurer traveled with a makeshift golf trolley, carrying essential survival equipment, camping supplies, electronics, and food. Busby calls it “The Beast.” Beast One lasted just three years, while Beast Two—first built in Nicaragua—survived 25 years.

After walking 58,000 kilometers (approximately 36,000 miles) across 29 countries, Bushby broke the record for the longest unbroken foot trek. While en route, he also achieved several other feats, including becoming part of the first teams in modern times to cross the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia on foot and to swim across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.

Along the way, Bushby has been through just about everything imaginable. He’s come close to death, spent years stuck in Mexico after losing his sponsor, been convicted of spying, held in custody in Russia, and sentenced to deportation. He’s also been threatened at gunpoint and come face to face with the very real danger of polar bears.

Returning home for Bushby has been surreal and bittersweet. “It’s a weird feeling to be back,” he said on the beaches of Dover in England. “Yesterday…I was able to catch sight of the French coast, and I had this deep sense of loss. That represented everything behind me. It’s a distant thing, and it felt really sad.” Busby added, “It’s been a rollercoaster…getting to the end and finishing this thing. After 28 years, half my life.”

Bushby is now currently making the journey to his mother’s home in Hull where his journey first began almost three decades ago. That’s a walk of 400 kilometers (around 248.5 miles), but before he set off, he made sure to enjoy traditional fish and chips with mushy peas. In a recent TikTok video, he claims that the British version of the classic pub food is superior to other versions around the world, saying, “Now I know I’m home.”

Bushby hopes to complete his journey on November 1, the same date he set off all those years ago.

You keep up with his epic journey by following Karl Bushby on TikTok.