Karl Bushby, world traveler, on his Goliath Expedition: “This world is hell of a lot friendlier and nicer than it might appear”

When Karl Bushby set off on his mission to walk, yes, walk, from the southern tip of South America to his home in northern England, even he could not imagine he would make it all the way.

Setting out from the Chilean city of Punta Arenas in 1998 at the age of 29, with just $500 in his back pocket, Bushby is now expected to complete his so-called Goliath Expedition in 2026. Now 56, the Englishman has stuck to a strict set of rules along the way. Only walking or swimming is allowed, with all forms of transport forbidden.

The Goliath Expedition: A journey that defies logic

In the 28 years he has spent on the road, Bushby has seen just about everything. He crossed the Darién Gap, the perilous migration route between North and South America, and spent 31 days swimming across the Caspian Sea, assisted by support boats and a small team. He has been arrested in Russia and jailed in Panama, and lived to tell the tale.

Despite those complications, Bushby, who served 12 years in the British Army’s Parachute Regiment before setting off, told CNBC Make It that the hardest challenge of the journey has been mental rather than physical.

“Losing the women that you fall in love with hands down. That’s the toughest thing you will deal with,” he said. “The physical stuff, pain is easy, suffering is different. The happiest of times was when I [was in] those relationships. When you’re with somebody.”

The kindness of strangers

Relationships of all kinds have played a vital role in Bushby’s epic journey, during which he has averaged about 30 kilometers a day, roughly 19 miles. He has nothing but praise for people around the world who have gone out of their way to help him.

“This world is hell of a lot friendlier and nicer than it might appear,” he said, explaining that strangers have fed him, offered shelter, or helped him in one way or another for nearly three decades.

“You don’t even speak the same language, so it’s just about smiles and nods and then they send you on your way,” he continued. “It’s just one story after another, and it’s across every culture, across every country.”

The final stretch

Having crossed the Americas and traveled through Asia, Bushby is now in Europe. If all goes to plan, he will finally arrive back in northern England in September 2026, bringing one of the most improbable journeys on foot ever attempted to a close.

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