Karl Bushby Finishes 28-Year Walk Around the World

Bushby embraced his mother, Angela, outside her home on Monday, completing a journey that began on November 1, 1998, when he was 29. Hundreds of people welcomed him at City Hall before he pushed his cart through Hull for the final steps. He had not seen his mother in a decade.

The former paratrooper set out from Punta Arenas, Chile, and vowed not to return until he had completed the route on foot. He crossed four continents and 30 countries, traversing the Bering Strait over shifting ice and swimming the Caspian Sea and English Channel rather than using transport to move forward.

The journey was delayed by dangerous terrain, border restrictions, visa problems and weather. In 2001, Bushby spent 18 days in jail in Panama after entering a restricted area. During a 2006 attempt to cross the Bering Strait with American adventurer Dimitry Kieffer, the pair were airlifted to safety; after continuing, they faced a polar bear and near-drownings before being jailed in Russia for illegal entry.

Visa disputes and seasonal conditions kept Bushby in Russia for nearly a decade. After Russia refused him a visa in 2012, he trekked from California’s largest city to Russia’s diplomatic mission in the U.S. capital, a protest that helped him obtain paperwork. He also faced funding difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic during the expedition.

Bushby reunited with his son, Adam, and was introduced to his 12-year-old granddaughter. He said the help of strangers and people across the world had made his return possible. With the journey over, he has said he will need to find another mission and passion.