British adventurer nears the end of a 28-year walk around the world

Karl Bushby has walked 49,890 kilometres across the globe and plans to reach his mother's house in England next week. His epic journey began in the mid-1990s when he was a British Army paratrooper looking for an extreme endurance challenge. His father suggested walking across the frozen Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, which inspired Bushby to map out an unbroken route from England through Europe, Asia, North America, and down to the southern tip of South America.

The Journey

Bushby flew to South America and started his trek in Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998 at age 29. He started with about US$500 and a modified golf trolley carrying his supplies, which he named "The Beast." His rules were strict: he would use no transport and refused to step foot in Britain until the very end. Over nearly 28 years, his trek faced major interruptions from wars, economic collapse, and a pandemic. He traversed harsh terrains ranging from the Darién Gap jungle to the Siberian tundra, dealing with arrests, deportations, and being broke. In March 2006, he and French American adventurer Dimitri Kieffer crossed the shifting ice of the Bering Strait into Russia over two weeks, sleeping on floating ice blocks. Bushby later faced suspicion and police stops after entering the United States in 2002 following the events of September 11. This month, he swam across the English Channel to return to his home country. Now 57, he plans to arrive at his mother's home in Hull, England, next week.

Context

Long-distance walking expeditions of this scale require extreme physical endurance and face complex geopolitical hurdles like border crossings and visa rules. Bushby's journey highlights the rare subculture of global foot-travellers who spend decades navigating remote wilderness and international borders entirely on foot.