After 28 years of traveling the world, British adventurer Karl Bushby is just a few miles away from completing an extraordinary mission: to walk the distance from Chile to his hometown of Hull, England, without using any means of transportation.
Bushby was just 29 when he set off from Punta Arenas in southern Chile in 1998, intending to walk home non-stop. He set two non-negotiable rules: not to return to Britain before the mission was complete, and not to use transport to cover the distance.
Today, at the age of 57, after nearly 36 miles, he is on the final stretch of an adventure that has taken him across four continents. During this journey, he has crossed the dangerous jungle of the Darién Gap, crossed the frozen Bering Strait, and just a few weeks ago swam the English Channel.
But beyond the physical challenges, completing the journey seems to pose another challenge for him. Upon arrival in Hull, Bushby will be reunited with his 36-year-old son, his 12-year-old granddaughter, whom he has never met, his father and brothers. His childhood home will also be awaited by his mother, who he left 28 years ago.
In an interview with the BBC, he admits that returning to ordinary life may be harder than he imagined. For almost half his life, identity has been tied to the journey and the mission to get home.
"Everything I am and everything I know about myself will disappear. I will have to figure out who I am again. What is the meaning of all this? How do I find a new purpose and how do I fill the void that will be created?" he says.
Bushby says the journey has not been all the adventure it may seem from the outside. In addition to thousands of kilometers on foot, he has faced daily problems, such as finding a place to wash clothes, constant rain, and defects in the cart in which he transports the necessary items.
He explains that of the last 28 years, he has only spent about 15 actually traveling. The rest has been taken up by visa procedures, geopolitical obstacles, and travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In between trips, he has often stayed in Mexico, where the cost of living is lower.
The former British paratrooper admits that the decision to leave home came after his marriage ended, while his wife returned to Northern Ireland with their son. The rules he had imposed on himself prevented him from returning to Britain to meet his family, so meetings with his parents and son have taken place elsewhere.
"Family is always family, but distance and years make you move away from each other. At some point you don't know each other that well anymore," he confesses.
Despite the difficulties, Bushby says the journey has strengthened his faith in people. He emphasizes that over the years he has met extraordinary people and that the kindness of strangers has been crucial to the completion of the mission.
"I have personally met the best side of humanity. This has strengthened my faith in people. I could not have done it without the world," says the adventurer.
Now, after nearly three decades away, Bushby is preparing to close an extraordinary chapter in his life. He says he still feels like the young man who set out from South America, and his desire for adventure has not faded.
His message to anyone who dreams of taking on a big challenge is simple: seize every opportunity, have faith in yourself, and don't expect things to happen by themselves.
"With a little self-confidence you can go much further than you imagine. You won't achieve anything if you don't do anything," he concludes.
