In 1998, British adventurer Karl Bushby decided to walk around the world. He set two strict rules for himself: first, no form of transportation—he would rely solely on his own two feet. Second, he could not return home until the journey was complete. On November 1, 1998, he departed from Punta Arenas, at the southern tip of Chile, to begin a monumental journey he named the “Goliath Expedition.” Twenty-seven years later, he is still walking.
Bushby initially estimated the 58,000-kilometer (approx. 36,000-mile) trek would take eight years, but reality proved to be a far more arduous, three-decade-long odyssey. The challenges were immense from the start. Between South and Central America, he entered the Darién Gap, an undeveloped and notoriously dangerous region on the border of Colombia and Panama. Known as a “death pass,” it was a roadless, primitive jungle controlled by drug traffickers and armed groups. After two months of scouting for a safe route, he successfully crossed on foot, only to be detained by Panamanian authorities for 18 days.
Upon reaching the end of the American continent, he faced the frozen Bering Strait and made the audacious decision to walk across the ice. The 240-kilometer journey over the sea ice took 14 days, culminating in a historic step from Alaska onto Russian soil. However, because he hadn’t entered through an official port of entry, he was immediately detained by Russian border guards.
As it turned out, political borders proved more formidable than geographical ones. Russian visa restrictions, which limited his stay to 90 days within any 180-day period, forced Bushby into a cycle of frequent exits and re-entries. In 2012, his visa application was denied, and in 2013, Russia imposed a five-year ban on his entry, leaving him stranded in the frigid Siberian wilderness for years.
Just as he was able to move forward, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, adding another layer of hardship to his solitary journey. Border closures and travel restrictions left him stuck in Kazakhstan for four years. When he finally reached the Caspian Sea, geopolitics again blocked his path. Russia to the north and Iran to the south were both impassable. In a remarkable display of determination, Bushby chose to swim across. In 2024, he and a companion spent 32 days swimming for roughly six hours a day to cross the nearly 300-kilometer-wide sea, tenaciously making their way from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
This year, Bushby finally set foot on European soil. He is now on the final leg of his journey, with an expected arrival in his hometown of Hull, England, in September 2026.
Circumnavigating the globe is a romantic and age-old dream for humanity. From Magellan’s fleet first proving the Earth was round in the 16th century, to journalist Nellie Bly’s 19th-century, novel-inspired 72-day race around the world by train and steamship, to explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ first polar circumnavigation in the 20th century, humans have continuously pushed the boundaries of world exploration.
Bushby’s quest is less a record-breaking feat and more a unique life choice. He has taken the dream of circling the globe and pursued it in the most arduous and time-consuming way imaginable. Even as his expedition has been forced to a halt time and again, he approaches it like a vast, single-player video game. When faced with an insurmountable obstacle, he can pause and save his progress. No matter how long the wait, he always reloads the game, returns to where he left off, and persists until the level is beaten.
Twenty-seven years is long enough for the world to change dramatically. Bushby’s journey has spanned the tenures of five British Prime Ministers, the COVID-19 pandemic, and countless conflicts around the globe. The rise of social media has also allowed him to share his adventure with a new generation on platforms like TikTok. The most profound change, however, has been in the man himself. Bushby began as a 29-year-old and is now a man in his fifties, constantly experiencing a changing world from the perspective of his own changing self.
Returning home may feel strange. Once the goal that has defined half his life is complete, what comes next? A return to a quiet, normal life, or the start of a new adventure? In his own life, Bushby has enacted a modern-day Odyssey. The world awaits the story of its final chapter.
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