27 Years, 31,000 Miles: British Man Who Set Out To Walk Around The World Nears The Finish Line

In November 1998, Karl Bushby, a 29-year-old British ex-paratrooper, set out on an extraordinary mission -- to walk around the world without using any motorised transport. Now, 27 years later, the 56-year-old is on his final stretch, dealing with social media pressure in a vastly changed world. He's about 1,000 miles from completing his epic journey, which has become one of the longest human treks ever attempted.

Busbhy began his Goliath Expedition in 1998, standing at the edge of Chile, and vowed to return home to England on foot. He has refused to take any form of mechanised transport and is now in the final stages of his journey, expected to reach his hometown of Hull, England, by September 2026, Washington Post reported. 

He's traversed 25 countries, deserts, war zones, jungles, and frozen seas, showcasing incredible endurance and willpower. After 27 years, Bushby's journey has taken him across Patagonia, the Andes, Central America, Mexico, the US, Russia, Mongolia, and parts of Asia. 

Bushby was a paratrooper in the British Army, an experience he says sparked his love for travel and exploration. He said being in the army and seeing amazing places inspired a wanderlust in him. 

The Journey So Far

• Bushby's 31,000-mile expedition, which he initially estimated would take around eight to twelve years, has turned into a nearly three-decade odyssey due to numerous geopolitical, financial, and logistical hurdles, including the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic.
• He began his walk at Punta Arenas, Chile, at the southern tip of South America, and walked the entire length of the Americas, including traversing the treacherous Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia.
• In March 2006, he and fellow adventurer Dimitri Kieffer became some of the first people to cross the frozen Bering Strait on foot from Alaska to Siberia.
• His progress through Russia was repeatedly stalled by visa issues and a five-year entry ban after he entered at an unofficial border point (which was later overturned). The tundra conditions meant he could only walk during late winter and early spring.
• In August 2024, to avoid entering Iran or Russia due to political risks, he swam across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, a 179-mile crossing that took 31 days with support boats for rest.
• He has since walked through the Caucasus and Turkey, crossing the Bosphorus Strait into Europe in 2025. As of late 2025, he was walking through Romania, less than 1,400 miles from the UK.

The Final Stretch

Bushby's main rule has remained unbroken: no mechanical transport to advance his journey and no going home until he arrives on foot. "I can't use transport to advance, and I can't go home until I arrive on foot. If I get stuck somewhere, I have to figure it out," he said. 

He's now in Hungary, about 932 miles from his hometown of Hull, England. If all goes as planned, Bushby will become one of the first people to walk an unbroken, continuous route around the world.