It took 28 years, but Karl Bushby is finally home. In November 1998, Karl set off from the southern most point in Chile, headed home to the UK with only two rules: no transport to advance, and no going home until he arrived on foot. 

His journey took him to four continents and 29 countries with key moments including trekking through the dense jungles of the Darién Gap, crossing the frozen Bering Strait, and swimming across both the Caspian Sea and the English Channel.

On Monday, November 2, 2026, Karl’s journey around the world came to an end as he arrived at his mother’s house in Hull, England, embracing her on the front stoop with the whole world watching. This was a moment almost three decades in the making.

The Spark

Karl’s journey began by fluke. The idea was sparked by a birthday card from his Dad. He wrote about a conversation that he’d overheard from two special forces soldiers. They were arguing whether a person could walk from London to New York by crossing the Bering Strait.

Karl pulled out a map and traced the line himself, across Europe and Asia and into North America. But instead of stopping at New York, he kept drawing the line all the way down to the tip of South America — Punta Arenas, Chile.

Having just left the British Army after serving for over a decade with 3 PARA, the third battalion of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment, Karl packed his bag and headed to Chile. He had $500 in his pocket and expected the trip to take him 12 years. At the time, he couldn’t have imagined the pitfalls and challenges awaiting him that would more than double that estimation.

The Long Way Home

Karl walked north from Punta Arenas through South America, and in 2001 he reached the first of his great obstacles: the Darién Gap. This roadless stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama is controlled by smugglers and armed groups, and most travellers go around it. Karl went through it. The crossing took about two months and ended with an 18-day stint in a Panamanian jail for entering a restricted border zone.

The next big obstacle was the Bering Strait. In March 2006, Karl and fellow adventurer Dimitri Kieffer spent 14 days crossing the frozen strait from Alaska to Russia, hauling sleds over shifting ice and swimming between floes. Then, when they finally reached Siberia, they were arrested for entering Russia without permission.

Russia turned out to be the slowest part of the trip. Visa battles, plus an Arctic climate that allowed only a few months of walking each year, stretched it to nearly a decade. The 2008 financial crisis cost him his sponsors, then Russia refused him a visa in 2013. When this happened, Karl walked roughly 5,600 km the wrong way across the United States, from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington, to argue his case. He was successful and the ban was lifted in 2014. 

Then came COVID-19. When sanctions and rising tensions made crossing Iran impossible, and the pandemic and the war in Ukraine sealed off every other land route over a four-year period, he swam 288 km across the Caspian Sea, from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.

Finally, in May 2025, Karl walked across Istanbul’s Bosphorus bridge and set foot in Europe for the first time since 1998. From there he pushed west toward the English Channel, his final obstacle. When his request to walk through the Channel Tunnel’s service passage was refused, Karl had to swim the Channel instead: about 20 hours in the water over three days. On October 5, 2026, he landed on Shakespeare Beach near Dover, where his father and brothers were waiting. As agreed upon, his Mom waited at home as her son walked the last 400 kms of his journey.

Homecoming

On the morning of November 2, hundreds of people packed Queen Victoria Square in Hull’s city centre to welcome Karl home. Karl was joined by filmmaker Werner Herzog for the final stretch, who is making a feature-length documentary about Karl called Walk of Life.

Upon reaching his final destination, Karl was quick to share the credit for his success. “They say it takes a village but literally it took a world to get me here,” he told reporters. “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.”

Hire Karl Bushby to Speak at Your Event

For 28 years, Karl’s plan changed constantly, often under pressure and with the outcome unknown, but his objective never wavered. Today, he shows audiences how to stay committed without becoming rigid, make decisions amid uncertainty, and keep moving forward when optimism is no longer enough.

Contact us to learn more about Karl and what he can bring to your next event.