A British adventurer has finally returned to his childhood home after spending 28 years travelling around the world on foot, completing an extraordinary expedition that took him across four continents, through dangerous jungles and frozen landscapes, and over two major bodies of water.
Karl Bushby, 57, arrived at his mother’s home in Hull, England, on Monday, November 2, 2026, ending a journey that began in Punta Arenas, Chile, on November 1, 1998.
The former British Army paratrooper received a hero’s welcome as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate his return. His mother, Angela, waited outside their family home, where the two shared an emotional embrace after spending approximately a decade without seeing each other in person.
Bushby also reunited with his son, Adam, whom he had left behind as an eight-year-old boy. Adam is 36 when his father finally returned. Bushby also met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
The journey, known as the Goliath Expedition, covered approximately 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometres) across four continents and around 30 countries. Bushby followed two strict rules throughout the challenge: he would not use motorised transport to advance his journey, and he would not return home until he had completed the expedition.
Although he initially expected the undertaking to take about 12 years, visa restrictions, financial difficulties, dangerous conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic stretched it into a 28-year mission.
A birthday card inspired the 28-year journey
Bushby’s extraordinary adventure began with an idea from his father, Keith, a former soldier who sent him a birthday card in the mid-1990s.
The card mentioned a debate between two special forces soldiers about whether someone could walk from London to New York by crossing the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska.
The idea fascinated Bushby, who was then serving with the British Army’s Parachute Regiment. He took a marker pen and drew a route on a world map, tracing a line across Europe and Asia, through North America and down to the southern tip of South America.
Rather than attempt to reach New York, he decided to start in Chile and walk all the way back to England.
On November 1, 1998, aged 29, he began the expedition with approximately $500, a trolley carrying his supplies and a determination to complete the route without relying on motorised transport.
Bushby originally calculated that the journey might take five years, although he later recognised that a 12-year expedition was more realistic.
“We suspected that it was 12 years plus. And the plus was a big plus. But never in our wildest dreams would we ever have imagined 28 years,” he said.
Surviving jungles, armed groups and freezing conditions
The expedition exposed Bushby to some of the world’s most dangerous environments.
One of his earliest major challenges came in 2001 when he crossed the Darién Gap, a vast stretch of rainforest, swamps and mountains between Colombia and Panama.
The region had a history of armed conflict and criminal activity. Bushby had to navigate the difficult terrain while avoiding armed groups operating in the area.
His problems continued after the crossing. Panamanian authorities arrested him for entering a restricted border zone and held him for 18 days.
In Mexico, he also faced a frightening encounter when armed men held him at gunpoint.
Another major test came in 2006 when Bushby and American adventurer Dimitri Kieffer attempted to cross the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia.
The pair travelled over shifting sea ice in temperatures that dropped to around minus 30 degrees Celsius. The 56-mile (90-kilometre) crossing exposed them to freezing water and unstable ice floes.
At one point, the men plunged into the freezing water and nearly lost their supplies when their sledges fell into the sea. Rescuers eventually airlifted them to safety before they resumed the crossing.
They also faced a dangerous encounter with a polar bear.
Even after reaching Russia, the adventurers encountered another obstacle. Authorities detained them for entering the country illegally and threatened them with deportation.
Russian visa restrictions delayed him for years
Russia became one of the biggest obstacles to completing the expedition.
Bushby spent almost 10 years navigating the country in stages because of visa restrictions and weather conditions that limited the months available for travel.
In 2012, Russian authorities denied him a visa, threatening to derail his progress.
He responded by walking from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, in a protest aimed at securing permission to continue his journey.
The effort eventually helped him obtain the necessary paperwork.
The 2008 global financial crisis had also disrupted his expedition after sponsors withdrew their support. Bushby struggled to finance the journey and spent time waiting for opportunities to secure funding and resume travelling.
The COVID-19 pandemic created another lengthy interruption when international travel restrictions prevented him from following his intended route.
He swam across the Caspian Sea and English Channel
Bushby’s commitment to avoiding motorised transport forced him to find unusual ways around geographical and political barriers.
In 2024, he swam across the Caspian Sea to travel between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan after geopolitical complications made his intended route through Russia and Iran difficult.
The crossing covered approximately 300 kilometres and took 31 days. Despite having limited swimming experience, Bushby completed the challenge with support from an escort team.
He faced another major water crossing during the final stretch of his journey.
After reaching France, he needed to cross the English Channel to return to Britain. He could not use a ferry or plane without breaking his expedition rules and failed to secure permission to walk through the Channel Tunnel.
He therefore swam across the Channel in October 2026, spending approximately 20 hours in the water over three days before reaching England.
His arrival at Shakespeare Beach near Dover brought him back onto British soil, although he still had to complete the final journey to Hull.
The personal cost of leaving his family behind
While Bushby’s expedition brought him international attention, it also meant spending much of his adult life away from his family.
As Angela embraced her son, she asked him: “Where have you been?”
Bushby also joked with the crowd that had gathered to welcome him, saying: “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
At a public reception, he acknowledged that the journey depended on the generosity of people he encountered across the world.
“They say it takes a village but literally it took a world to get me here,” he said.
“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.”
What comes after the 28-year expedition?
Bushby’s return to Hull has ended a mission that occupied nearly half his life, but he has several projects ahead.
German filmmaker Werner Herzog is developing a documentary about the expedition and was present during Bushby’s homecoming.
The adventurer also has speaking engagements planned and a sequel to his memoir, Giant Steps, in the works.
However, he has admitted that adjusting to ordinary life could prove difficult after spending nearly three decades moving between countries.
Before completing the expedition, he told the Associated Press: “My purpose and reason for living is about to end.”
He later described the prospect of returning to everyday life as stepping into an uncertain future.
