In a world where global travel increasingly relies on planes, trains and automobiles, one man’s remarkable odyssey stands out for its sheer simplicity and audacity: walking.
Karl Bushby / Facebook
British adventurer Karl Bushby is on the final stretch of a decades-long trek to become the first person to complete an unbroken, self-propelled walk around the planet, a feat that has consumed nearly 27 years of his life.
A challenge born of curiosity
The Goliath Expedition, as Bushby calls his mission, didn’t begin with fanfare or sponsorship deals. It started, as many great quests do, with a casual conversation among friends. In his twenties, sparked by curiosity and youthful ambition, Bushby began to wonder: Could someone truly walk around the world? What seemed like an intriguing thought soon became an obsession, and in 1998, at age 29, he set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost city in South America, with paper maps, a pencil and a meticulously sketched plan.
Originally, he estimated the journey, about 49 900 km, would take around 12 years. But the road had other ideas. Nearly three decades later, Bushby remains on the path, closing in on his beloved hometown of Hull, England, with just a few thousand kilometres to go.
What makes this walk special
Walking large distances isn’t new. Many hikers and adventurers have undertaken long trails, from the Appalachian Trail to ancient pilgrimage routes, and explorers have circled the globe in vehicle-assisted journeys or complex multi-modal trips. Some have even walked across continents. Yet Bushby’s journey is unique in its scope and self-imposed rules: he vowed to advance only by foot, not to use transportation to cover parts of the route, and not to return home until he reached his front door on foot.
Experienced walkers and circumnavigators such as Dave Kunst have completed verified pedestrian circumnavigations of Earth before, but Kunst’s trip, while extraordinary, involved different rules and circumstances. Bushby’s claim is built on a continuous, unbroken path that adheres strictly to his own criteria.
Crossing continents and challenges
Bushby’s route has taken him through dramatically varied environments and political landscapes. From the icy expanses of Patagonia and the towering Andes to the jungles of Central America, and from the deserts of Asia to the frozen Bering Strait, his trek has tested every limit of human endurance. He has crossed deserts, jungles and even war-torn regions. Along the way, he’s swum across rivers and straits when land routes failed him, negotiated border laws and visa complications, and weathered extreme climates.
Perhaps most famously, Bushby and a compatriot completed a daring passage across the Bering Strait when it froze, forging a path across ice that connected Alaska to Siberia. Administrative hurdles, like delays entering Russia, have added unexpected pauses to his progress, yet he always resumed his walk from where he left off.
Over the years, his journey has taken him through 25 countries, each offering both obstacles and kindnesses. Despite the solitude often associated with extreme endurance challenges, Bushby regularly emphasizes that his experience has been profoundly shaped by the generosity of others. “Ninety-nine percent of the people I’ve met have been the very best in humanity,” he has said.
Mind and body in motion
Walking tens of thousands of kilometres might sound like an ordeal solely of the body, but for Bushby it has been as much a psychological odyssey as a physical one. With nearly 30 years spent on the move, he has seen the world change dramatically and so has he. Despite the wear and tear such a life might suggest, he reports that his feet remain in “remarkably good condition,” a testament to careful pacing and respect for his own limits.
Yet, as he approaches the finish line, likely in late 2026, Bushby confesses that the end brings mixed emotions. After more than a quarter-century with a singular purpose, moving forward each day, the thought of stopping is surprisingly daunting. The goal that began as an adventurous challenge evolved into a defining way of life.
A legacy of inspiration
Whether or not Bushby’s name winds up in record books, his walk is more than an athletic achievement or a personal triumph. It’s a reminder of what boundaries still exist in human experience and what the human spirit can pursue when fueled by curiosity, determination and resilience.
For future generations of explorers, his story offers a compelling lesson: the world is vast, and while technology has made it smaller, the simple act of walking — step by step, continent to continent — remains one of the most profound ways to truly see our planet and the people who inhabit it
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