03.11.2026 15:12
British traveler Karl Bushby, 57, returned to his home in Hull, England, after a journey he began 28 years ago in Chile and completed on foot without using any means of transport. Bushby, who walked about 60,000 kilometers across 29 countries, reunited with his mother after 10 years and saw his 12-year-old grandson for the first time. For the crowd welcoming him, Bushby said, "It's complete madness."
The intercontinental walk that began in Punta Arenas, Chile, and lasted 28 years ended at the door of the house where Bushby spent his childhood. According to reports in the British media, Bushby was welcomed by a large crowd in Hull.
“NO HOMECOMING HAS EVER BEEN WELCOMED LIKE THIS”
Bushby, who was greeted with great interest in the city, said, “I am sure no homecoming has ever been welcomed like this. It is complete madness.”
“I CONGRATULATE YOU FOR WAITING”
Bushby met face to face for the first time in 10 years with his 75-year-old mother Angela Bushby, who had been waiting for him in the house where he lived as a child, as he had promised. Telling his mother, “You have changed a little. I congratulate you for waiting,” Bushby also met his 36-year-old son, whom he had last seen in 2014. Bushby saw his 12-year-old grandchild for the first time.
“WE WERE A BIG TEAM: TEAM WORLD”
Thanking the people who welcomed him, Bushby said:
“I walked a world of distance to get here. Strangers in most of the countries I passed through showed great kindness so that I could come here. I did not do this alone. We were a big team. Team World.”
HE RESIGNED FROM THE ARMY AND SET OFF
Bushby, who served as a paratrooper in the British Army, resigned from the army for the journey he planned to complete in 12 years. On November 1, 1998, at the age of 29, Bushby set off from Punta Arenas with a tent, a few hundred dollars and a cheap plastic camera. Due to visa problems, loss of sponsors and harsh natural conditions, the journey took much longer than planned.
HE SPENT 18 DAYS IN PRISON IN PANAMA
Walking north across the Americas, Bushby crossed the roadless Darién Gap forests between Colombia and Panama in 2001. He was imprisoned for 18 days in Panama for entering a prohibited border area.
HE CROSSED THE BERING STRAIT OVER THE ICE
In 2006, Bushby crossed from Alaska to Russia by walking and swimming over the ice of the Bering Strait. Detained for illegally entering Russia, Bushby stayed in Russia for about 10 years due to visa problems and seasonal conditions. Bushby later passed through Mongolia and China and swam across the Caspian Sea.
HE WALKED ACROSS TURKEY FROM END TO END
Entering Turkey through Artvin in February 2025, Bushby also walked across the Bosphorus with special permission. As he left Edirne in September to begin the Bulgaria leg of his journey, Bushby had said, “Turkey was wonderful, a magnificent country, its people were wonderful.”
HE ENTERED HULL ON THE ANNIVERSARY
Crossing from France to England by swimming on October 5, Bushby entered the city on November 1, exactly the 28th anniversary of his departure, by crossing Hull’s famous Humber Bridge. In a past interview, Bushby had said the journey was “very boring.”
THE FIRST PERSON TO WALK AROUND THE WORLD
Bushby, who is stated to have also broken the longest walking record of approximately 40,000 kilometers, became the first person to walk around the world. A feature-length documentary about Bushby’s journey is being prepared. Bushby is also planning to organize a speaking tour in England in the coming weeks.