Man Returns Home After 28 Years of Walking Around the World
A 57-year-old British adventurer, Karl Bushby, has finally returned to his childhood home in Hull, northern England, after spending 28 years walking around the world in an extraordinary journey covering approximately 50,000 kilometres.
Bushby was warmly welcomed by his mother, Angela, outside her home on Monday, November 2, 2026, beneath a banner that read, “Welcome Home Son.”
Hundreds of supporters gathered in the city centre to celebrate his historic achievement before he completed the final stretch of his journey to his mother’s house.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he jokingly told the cheering crowd before asking, “Is that it, is it done?”
Bushby began the ambitious expedition, known as the Goliath Expedition, in November 1998 in Punta Arenas, southern Chile. His mission was to travel around the world and return to his hometown without using any form of motorised transport.
Initially expecting the journey to last just 12 years, he set out with a tent, a few hundred dollars and a plastic camera.
His incredible route took him through the Americas, across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia, and through Mongolia and China. He also swam across the Caspian Sea before continuing towards Europe.
The expedition was far from easy, as he navigated the dangerous Darien Gap jungle between Colombia and Panama, encountered visa restrictions and crossed several international borders.
He was also detained in Russia, while financial difficulties and the 2008 global financial crisis, which affected his major sponsors, further delayed his journey.
Last month, Bushby swam across the English Channel, overcoming one of the final major obstacles before completing the remaining distance on foot to Hull.
Expressing gratitude to those who supported him throughout the adventure, he said it took the kindness and assistance of people from different countries to make his return possible.
“They say it takes a village, but literally it took a world to get me here,” he said.
A feature-length documentary about his 28-year expedition is currently in production, while he is expected to embark on a speaking tour across England in the coming weeks.
