Man Walking The World For 27 Years Reveals The Two Places That Scared Him The Most

Karl Bushby, now 56, began his round-the-world trek at 29 and has spent almost three decades walking without using any transport

Karl Bushby, who has spent an incredible 27 years walking around the world without stepping onto a vehicle once, has reflected on the moments that frightened him the most and how they shaped his journey. He described the experience as both demanding and unforgettable, especially as he moved through isolated regions and unfamiliar terrain.

Bushby first set out at 29 years old, leaving Punta Arenas in Chile with the ambitious goal of walking all the way back to the UK. His challenge was simple in theory but extreme in practice — reach home entirely on foot and avoid using any form of transport.

Now 56, he’s finally close to returning to England, although he may still have to swim across the English Channel from France to complete the mission, adding one more obstacle to a journey already filled with difficult moments.

Sharing his thoughts with CBS News, he spoke honestly about the challenge ahead and said: “Swimming sucks, dude. It just sucks. I’m not a swimmer. I don’t like it.”

As he gets nearer to finishing, Bushby admitted that he feels uneasy about reaching the end. He compared the feeling to someone who has worked their entire life and then suddenly faces retirement, saying the thought of stopping after so long feels almost overwhelming.

During his conversation with CBS reporter Ramy Inocencio, Bushby also looked back on some of the scariest experiences he has had throughout his 27 years of walking, recalling several situations that pushed him far outside his comfort zone.

Karl Bushby has been traveling around the world for almost 30 yearsResul Rehimov/Anadolu via Getty Images

One of the first terrifying moments he remembered happened in 2000, when he made his way across the Darién Gap — a huge stretch of dense rainforest between Panama and Colombia that has no roads and is known for being incredibly dangerous.

Bushby said he felt as if he were walking straight through a conflict zone, and added: “There was a whole layer above that that was cartels and drug plantations, and then really, really tough jungle.”

Another major challenge came when he crossed the Bering Strait, a frigid waterway between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. He eventually became the first Brit to complete the crossing on foot.

While making his way across the ice, Bushby said he unexpectedly came face-to-face with a polar bear, an encounter that added an entirely new level of danger to the trek.

“You’re in a very serious world that will kill you in 20 minutes if you mess up,” he reflected, noting how quickly things can change in such extreme environments.

Speaking separately about the long journey, Bushby explained just how complicated the last 27 years have been and how many obstacles he has had to work through along the way.

Talking to BBC Radio Humberside in June, he shared: “We’ve run into a lot of complications with visa problems, financial crises, the pandemic: we’ve had it all.”

“It’s been extremely difficult but we’ve always stuck to our guns and never been willing to compromise on the route.”

After being barred from entering Russia and Iran, Bushby had no choice but to find another route. That detour resulted in him becoming the first person in history to swim across the Caspian Sea, pushing his endurance even further.

The Caspian Sea covers more than 143,000 square miles and is bordered by five countries — Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran — making the challenge both physically intense and logistically complicated.

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