28 years, 29 countries and one goal: to get home

Karl Bushby, who left Chile in 1998 on a global walking journey, arrived after approximately 50,000 kilometers and 29 countries at Dover beach in England, after swimming across the English Channel. He has about 400 kilometers left to reach his mother's home in Hull.

Karl Bushby, a British traveler who set out from Chile in 1998 on a global walking journey, arrived on October 5, 2026 at Shakespeare Beach near Dover, England, after swimming across the English Channel. The journey, named "Expedition Goliath," lasted about 28 years and passed through 29 countries, during which Bushby covered approximately 50,000 kilometers. He crossed deserts and jungles, faced extreme weather conditions, was detained for crossing borders, and dealt with prolonged delays due to entry restrictions. Among the most unusual challenges were crossing the frozen Bering Strait, which separates Russia from Alaska, and a long swim in the Caspian Sea. After authorities did not allow him to pass through the Channel Tunnel, he decided to swim across the channel, spending three days at sea, including about 20 hours in the water. Bushby told ITV that "it feels good to feel British soil under my feet again after all these years," and that the journey was meant to prove to himself that he is capable of much more than he thought. He has about 400 kilometers left to reach his mother's home in Hull, where the journey will officially end.