A 28-Year Walk

Karl Bushby finally finished his mission to walk from Chile to England.

In this 2025 photo, British adventurer Karl Bushby poses on the Bosphorus Bridge, which connects Asia and Europe.

Would you go on a walk that lasts nearly 30 years? When Karl Bushby started walking from the southern tip of Chile with the goal of making it all the way home to England on an unbroken path, he wasn’t sure how long his journey would take or if it was even possible. Decades later, he has finally reached his hometown of Hull, England.

Bushby began his “Goliath Expedition” from Punta Arenas, Chile, on November 1, 1998, when he was 29 years old. He had two rules for his adventure: no returning to the United Kingdom until the end of the trek, and no transportation to help him move forward. After 28 years and 31,000 miles (58,000 kilometers), Bushby arrived home in Hull on November 2, 2026.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

This map shows the route Karl Bushby took when he walked from Chile to the United Kingdom.

Bushby faced major obstacles, particularly when he had to move through places with no roads. He had to hike through dense jungles in South America and cross the partially frozen sea ice of the Bering Strait to move from the United States into Russia. He also swam across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel. He encountered a polar bear and was suspected of being a spy in multiple countries.

Other delays got in Bushby’s way over the years. Wars, the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges getting permission to enter certain countries added years to his overall journey. As a result, Bushby spent only about 15 of the 28 years actually walking toward home.

After arriving in Hull, Bushby admitted that reaching the end of his long adventure feels difficult because he has spent so long focusing on one mission.

“Everything that I am and everything that I know of me is going to go away,” he said in an interview with the BBC. “And that’s going to be a problem. You’re going to have the old identity crisis, because Karl is this [an adventurer] and has been for half his life.”

What will likely come next is sharing his adventures with the world through a book and an upcoming documentary about the expedition. “I have a story to tell,” said Bushby.

Click through the slideshow for some photos of the adventure.

Did You Know?

The Bering Strait, which separates the United States and Russia, is just 53 miles (85 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point.

NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team; Photo illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A satellite captured this view of the Bering Strait. The arrow on the world map shows the location of the strait.

The Youngest Sailor

In this 2012 photo, 16-year-old Laura Dekker arrives at the Caribbean island of St. Maarten after completing her solo trip around the world.

Nearly fifteen years ago, 16-year-old Laura Dekker made headlines as the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She completed the entire journey on a 38-foot (12-meter) sailboat called Guppy.

Dekker began her journey at 14 years old on August 21, 2010, from Gibraltar, a territory that juts out from Spain’s south coast.

“As I set off from Gibraltar on my own, my emotions were one big jumble,” said Dekker in an essay she wrote about the experience years later for the Guardian. “I felt on top of the world and at the same time so nervous I couldn’t sleep for the first few days.”

This photo, from a 2013 documentary about Laura Dekker, shows Dekker on her boat.

From there, she sailed down the West African coast before crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. She made stops in the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galápagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, and Australia, among others. Then she made her way across the Indian Ocean to go around South Africa’s coast and back across the Atlantic.

Dekker finished her journey to welcoming cheers on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, 518 days after she first set sail on her solo voyage. Today, Dekker still holds the title of the youngest person to sail around the world alone. Now an adult, she runs her own sailing foundation, helping teenagers cultivate leadership skills and confidence through sailing.

“Sailing requires communication and teamwork, so it teaches children from all backgrounds to accept one another,” said Dekker.

Around the World in 19 Days

Is it possible to fly nonstop around the world with just a hot air balloon? In 1999, two aviators proved it was possible, but it took 19 days to do it. Read more about Bertrand Piccard (shown in the inset) and Brian Jones’s balloon adventure at Britannica!

WORD OF THE WEEK

circumnavigate

PART OF SPEECH:

verb

Definition:

: to travel all the way around (something) in a ship, airplane, etc.

Definitions provided by

Criss Cross

How many words can you make from the letters in the flower? All words must use the letter in the center.

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“In the News: A 28-Year Walk.” Britannica School, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15 Nov. 2026. https://news.eb.com/level2/a-28-year-walk Accessed 16 Nov. 2026 [Replace this date with today’s date.]