Can one man walk an unbroken path around the entire world on foot?

Nature · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Karl Bushby has spent nearly three decades attempting the Goliath Expedition, a 36,000-mile journey from Chile to his home in England. Navigating frozen straits, geopolitical minefields, and relentless visa bureaucracy, his quest to walk the globe with unbroken footsteps has become a masterclass in endurance and diplomatic navigation.

Karl Bushby, a former British paratrooper from Hull, began his odyssey in 1998 at the southern tip of Chile. His goal is to complete a continuous, unbroken walk around the world, a feat that has required him to traverse diverse terrains ranging from the treacherous Darién Gap in Central America to the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait. What was initially planned as a 12-year expedition has stretched into a 28-year endeavor, plagued by financial crises, visa denials, and global events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The logistical hurdles of the Goliath Expedition are as formidable as the physical ones. In 2006, Bushby and adventurer Dimitri Kieffer crossed the 58-mile Bering Strait by taking a 150-mile route across the ice, only to be detained by Russian border guards. His progress through Russia and Central Asia was frequently halted by complex permit requirements and geopolitical tensions. By 2024, these dangers forced him to pivot from walking to swimming, completing a 179-mile crossing of the Caspian Sea to bypass restricted territories.

Visa restrictions have become the expedition's most persistent adversary. Following Brexit, Bushby faced strict Schengen Area limitations, forcing him to shuttle between Europe and Mexico to manage his legal stay. Even as he nears his final destination in England, he has had to negotiate special permissions for unconventional crossings, such as a planned swim across the English Channel after being denied access to the Channel Tunnel. His journey remains a testament to the friction between individual ambition and the rigid borders of the modern world.

Bushby’s life on the road has necessitated immense personal sacrifice. He has navigated the collapse of relationships and long periods of separation from his family, famously remarking that maintaining a relationship while constantly moving is impossible. Despite these costs, he has documented his experiences in his book, Giant Steps, and continues to push toward his return to Hull, expected in late 2026.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The man who walked 300 miles with his feet taped to his body
• A 12-year odyssey retracing the first human migration out of Africa
• The British explorer who amputated his own frostbitten fingers with an electric fretsaw
• How a Geologist Led the First Overland Crossing of the Antarctic Continent
• One man walked 175,000 miles to fill a single leather-bound book
• Hanseatic sailors named this sea a cat’s narrow gate
• Turkmen “black sand” covers seventy percent of a nation
• Five nations share the world’s second-largest parkland
• Turkic “black gravel” names Earth’s most glaciated mid-latitude range
• Kazakhstan is rewriting its national identity by transitioning from Cyrillic to Latin script
• An Arctic sea that thaws for only two months
• A missed rhino sighting created India’s great grassland park

More in Physical geography · More in Nature · Latest · A–Z · All topics