Karl Bushby has returned to his home in Hull, England, after a 28-year, 31,000-mile journey across four continents and 30 countries.
British adventurer Karl Bushby returned to his mother's home in Hull, England, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, completing a 28-year journey to walk around the world. Bushby, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, arrived at the home he left in 1998 after traveling approximately 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) across four continents and 30 countries.
Bushby began his "Goliath Expedition" on Nov. 1, 1998, in Punta Arenas, Chile. He established two primary rules for the trek: to avoid using any form of motorized transport to advance and to not return home until the expedition was complete. To achieve this, he navigated shifting ice over the Bering Strait and swam across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel.
His journey faced several significant delays and dangers, including:
Upon his arrival in Hull, Bushby was met by hundreds of supporters at City Hall before making the final stretch to his mother's house. He was reunited with his mother, Angela, as well as his 36-year-old son, Adam, and his 12-year-old granddaughter, whom he met for the first time.
Bushby, who left home at age 29, stated, “The kindness of strangers, so many, from individuals to nation states to get me back here today. I didn’t do this alone. There was a big team. The biggest team. Earth.”
Bushby has several upcoming projects related to his expedition. German filmmaker Werner Herzog is producing a feature-length documentary about the trek titled Walk of Life. Additionally, Bushby has six speaking engagements scheduled over the next two months and is working on a sequel to his memoir, Giant Steps.
Bushby's trek is described by AP as one of the longest continuous walking journeys in the world. His return marks the conclusion of a mission that was originally estimated to take approximately five to 12 years but was extended to nearly three decades due to unforeseen global events and logistical hurdles.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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