Karl Bushby reaches Hull as 28-year journey nears its end

British adventurer Karl Bushby was due to complete his 31,000-mile journey around the world on Monday, November 2, returning to the house where he grew up after 28 years of travel. The 57-year-old reached his home city of Hull that morning, where hundreds of supporters gathered in a square to welcome him.

Bushby thanked the cheering crowd before continuing towards his family home, pulling a trolley containing his few belongings. A spare tire lay on top as he approached the end of the journey. His mother, his 36-year-old son and his 12-year-old granddaughter were waiting at the house.

The expedition, completed entirely using his own physical effort, took him through Central American jungles and across the ice separating Alaska and Russia. In October, he swam across the English Channel as he made his way through the final stages of the trip back to England.

Bushby had served in the British Army's Parachute Regiment during his twenties. Following the breakdown of his marriage, he plotted a route on a world map and began his travels. The idea was inspired by his father, who had questioned whether someone could walk from London to New York.

Starting in Chile with a tent, a few hundred dollars and an inexpensive plastic camera, Bushby travelled north through the Americas. His route continued from Alaska into Russia, Mongolia and China. He also swam across the Caspian Sea before making his way back through Europe. Speaking to Reuters last year, he described the mental strain of crossing deserts and Arctic terrain where the scenery could remain unchanged for days or weeks.

He had initially estimated that the journey would take about a decade. Instead, a series of obstacles extended it to nearly three times that length. He was briefly imprisoned in Panama, held at gunpoint in Mexico and detained by Russian authorities over an illegal border crossing. The 2008 financial crisis and the COVID pandemic also caused delays.

Bushby told the Telegraph that bureaucracy and geopolitical difficulties accounted for a substantial part of the challenge alongside the environmental obstacles. Some problems, he said, could only be resolved by waiting. He told the BBC that he spent approximately 15 of the 28 years walking, periodically returning to Mexico to arrange visas, logistics, and corporate and media sponsorship deals.

A feature-length documentary covering his travels is in production. With the expedition drawing to a close, Bushby is also planning a speaking tour around England in the coming weeks.