World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Karl Bushby completes 28-year walk around the world in Hull
Karl Bushby completed a 28-year journey around the world, arriving in Hull, his home city in northern England.
He set out from southern Chile in 1998, aged 29, and returned at 57 after covering about 31,000 miles across four continents.
A former British Army paratrooper, he aimed to make the journey without using transport to move forward.
His route crossed jungles, deserts and the frozen Bering Strait, and included swims across the Caspian Sea and English Channel.
Visa problems, a financial crisis and the pandemic contributed to long delays, and he said he spent only about 15 years actually walking.
His return drew cheering crowds, and he planned to reunite with family, including meeting his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
A documentary about the journey is in production, and Bushby is planning a speaking tour in England.
Karl Bushby completed a 28-year journey around the world on foot, arriving in his home city of Hull, England, on Monday.
He walked about 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers), starting in southern Chile in 1998 and crossing the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Hundreds of people cheered his arrival in Hull.
His journey was delayed by visa problems, the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bushby, now 57, planned to return to his mother’s home and reunite with family.
- Who
- Karl Bushby, a British adventurer and former paratrooper.
- What
- He completed a 28-year journey around the world on foot, covering about 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers).
- When
- Monday, November 2, 2026.
- Where
- Hull, England, where he arrived after starting his journey in southern Chile.
- Why
- Inspired by his father’s question about whether it was possible to walk from London to New York, Bushby set out to complete the journey on foot.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bushby set out on foot from Punta Arenas, Chile.
He crossed the Darién Gap and was jailed for 18 days after crossing a restricted border zone in Panama.
Bushby and American adventurer Dimitry Kieffer attempted to cross the Bering Strait and were airlifted to safety.
After Russia denied him a visa, Bushby walked from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later obtained the required paperwork.
Bushby reached the United Kingdom after swimming across the English Channel from France.
Bushby arrived in Hull, where hundreds of people greeted him.
- Journey length
- About 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers)
- Starting point
- Punta Arenas, Chile
- Start date
- November 1, 1998
- Destination
- Hull, England
- Countries crossed
- 29 according to Folha; 30 according to AP
- Age on arrival
- 57
4 sources
What people are saying
I didn’t do this alone. There was a big team. The biggest team. Earth.
After 28 years, you just couldn't ask for more than this
This is what an odyssey in the 21st century looks like
Many people followed Karl's epic adventure. We all feel inspired by his spirit, his tenacity and his determination.