A man decided to walk around the Earth: the journey lasted 27 years (4 photos)

A British man has been walking the world for 27 years, without transport or technology. Karl Bushby walked through Chile and the United States, then moved on to Asia, and is now heading back to the UK.





In the age of social media, when everyone strives to amaze the internet with the strangest challenges, true feats sometimes go unreported. But the story of British man Karl Bushby is an exception. He began his around-the-world journey back in 1998, long before the advent of TikTok and Instagram*, and has been walking for 27 years now.

Karl set himself the goal of circumnavigating the globe without using any motorized transport.

"I won't return home until I walk there," he promised his family back in the late 1990s. And he kept his word. The Briton used no planes, trains, or cars.



Over the years, he has traveled through Chile, the United States, then moved on to Asia, and is now heading back to the UK. Bushby, now 56, has traveled over 30,000 miles (approximately 48,000 km) and has about 2,000 more to go before he reaches home. He may have to swim the English Channel for the final leg.

The publication notes that Karl's route coincided with major world events. While he was continuing his journey, the millennium changed, the September 11 attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. It also included dangerous moments, from crossing a war zone to an encounter with a polar bear. Last year, he swam 186 miles (approximately 300 km) across the Caspian Sea, spending almost a month on the water.





For the first 15 years, Karl traveled without a smartphone or Google Maps. It wasn't until 2013 that he bought his first touchscreen gadget. Today, he keeps a TikTok diary of his journey and has already amassed over 350,000 followers.

"I've only seen the best in these 27 years. It's incredible," he admitted in an interview with CBS News.

If things continue at this pace, Bushby will return to the UK by the end of next year. But, as his fans joke, he might not stay home for long after that, as life there has become much more expensive than when he left.