British adventurer Karl Bushby is set to complete his 27-year walk around the world in September 2026. He has travelled across 25 countries, walking through harshest conditions, warm deserts, jungles, frozen seas, war zones and several political hurdles.
Starting in November 1998 at the age of 29, the British ex-paratrooper left the tip of South America to travel the world on foot without using any motorised assistance, a journey now known as the “Goliath Expedition.”
Now, the 56-year-old is set to return to his home after spending nearly three decades on the road. With nearly minimal presence on social media and no official website, Bushby has become extremely difficult to track.
Starting from the tip of South America, he has walked through the United States, Canada, Russia, China, and Europe, and is now finally set to return home to Britain. He is only a 1,000 miles away from the final stretch of completing his 58,000km journey.
He spent 57 days in detention in Russia for entering from an unofficial border.
Some of the interesting features of his journey are:
- When he started there were no smartphones and social media
- Google maps weren’t invented at that time
- Bill Clinton was U.S. President and Tony Blair was U.K.’s PM
The adventure was meant to last only 12 years, but it took him nearly 28 years to complete his expedition.
The delay was due to several political hurdles, including a 2013 five-year Russian visa ban (later overturned) and financial constraints.
The COVID-19 pandemic also played a significant part in prolonging the expedition.
