Karl Bushby made a barroom bet that he could walk from the southern tip of South America all the way home to England. His friends had little faith. “Suddenly, it became a challenge,” Bushby said of the bet he made in his 20s. A few years later, in 1998, he stood at the edge of Punta Arenas, Chile—about as far from his hometown of Hull, England, as a person can get on foot—ready to begin a 31,000-mile expedition he thought would take roughly 12 years.
It’s been 27 years, and Bushby, now 56, is still walking. He’s walked through Patagonia, the Andes, Central America, Mexico, the length of the United States, Russia, Mongolia and parts of Asia. He’s traversed some of the most remote, hostile and politically fraught places on earth, and crossed deserts, jungles and war zones.
Bushby’s trek—which he has called the Goliath Expedition—has taken far longer than he anticipated because of financial challenges, visa issues, travel bans, political barriers and the covid-19 pandemic. He is expected to arrive home in Hull by September 2026.
Bushby was a paratrooper in the British Army, an experience he said sparked his appetite for challenge, travel and exploration. Bushby also said being in the army—and losing several friends—made him think a lot about death. “There was an emphasis on the fact that life is short, and you should live it the best you can,” he said.
Bushby said he has learned a lot over the past nearly three decades, but one thing stands out: “99.99 percent of the people I’ve met have been the very best in humanity,” he said.
“The world is a much kinder, nicer place than it often seems.” Bushby said that anytime he was ill or down on his luck, a stranger would swoop in and help—either with shelter, a meal, financial support or guidance. “The overwhelming kindness of strangers was a shocker for me.”