In an era when travel often means curating the perfect sunset photo or booking a suite with a private plunge pool, Karl Bushby did the opposite. He walked. For 28 years. Across deserts, ice fields, and jungles, he covered roughly 50,000 kilometers on foot, becoming the first person to circle the globe without motorized transport. And when he finally knocked on his mother's door in Hull, England, in November 2026, she greeted him with the kind of question only a mum can deliver: "Where have you been?"
Bushby's odyssey began in 1998, when he was 29 and reeling from a divorce. His father, a former soldier, had sent a birthday card musing about whether it was possible to walk from London to New York via the Bering land bridge, the ancient route that once connected Russia and Alaska. That card lit a fuse. Bushby, a former paratrooper himself, packed a tent, a camera, and a few hundred dollars, and set off from Chile. He crossed South and North America, then pushed east from Alaska into Russia, through Mongolia and China, and eventually back to Europe.
The journey was never a straight line. He spent only about 15 of those 28 years actually walking, according to BBC reports. The rest of the time, he was stuck, detained, or recovering. He survived a Panamanian prison, an armed robbery in Mexico, and a near-fatal dip in the Bering Strait that led to his arrest by Russian authorities for illegal entry. The COVID pandemic halted him for a while too. He swam across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel, just to keep things interesting.
Bushby's gear evolved over the decades. He started with a backpack, then added a trolley, a sledge, and skis for snow. He credited Zamberlan boots for keeping his feet blister-free, and later relied on a Panasonic Toughbook laptop, an Iridium satellite phone, and a Garmin GPS to stay oriented. "Sometimes the monotony is incredible," he told Reuters in 2025. "You're in deserts, and the landscape doesn't change for days to weeks. That can get a little mind-bending."
His return to Hull was met by crowds of well-wishers, and a documentary by Werner Herzog is in the works. But Bushby admits the next challenge might be harder than the walk itself: re-adjusting to a "normal" life. After nearly three decades of moving, the stillness of home could feel foreign. He told AFP he worries about an identity crisis, which is understandable for someone who defined himself by motion for so long.
For travelers who think a long-haul flight is an ordeal, Bushby's story is a humbling reminder of what endurance really means. It also echoes the spirit of other slow-travel tales, like the truck driver who spent 21 years building New York in his basement, a different kind of obsessive dedication. And while most of us won't walk around the world, we can still find ways to slow down and see more, whether that's taking the scenic train route or exploring a city on foot. For a dose of that mindset, check out this story of a man who built a city in his basement.
Bushby's mother, now presumably relieved to have her son home, asked the question that sums up the absurdity of his feat. But her tone, as reported, was less about wonder and more about maternal concern. It's the perfect ending to a tale that began with a birthday card and a wild idea. He left at 28 and returned at 57, with a lifetime of stories and a pair of very tired legs.
For those inspired to attempt their own epic journey, Bushby's advice is simple: carry a good map, a compass, and a survival knife. And maybe pack a satellite phone. But also be prepared for the unexpected, like getting arrested in a foreign country or having to swim across a sea. The Bering land bridge is no longer a viable route, so you'll need to find your own path. But if you do, you might just end up with a story worth telling, and a mum who asks where you've been.
