Africa-Press – Zambia. But TikTok and Instagram were both a long way away when Karl Busby set off on the journey of a lifetime in 1998 as he set himself the challenge of walking around the world.
We see similar challenges pretty often online at the moment, whether it’s the Hardest Geezer’s run across Africa or even the bloke who attempted the similar athletic feat of drinking 2000 pints in 200 days.
But Bushby puts them, and even Forrest Gump’s run across America, to shame with his 27-year dedication, which saw him set off in Chile all the way back in 1998, when this writer was just a baby.
He’s walked through huge global events like the millennium celebrations, the 9/11 attacks and most recently, the coronavirus pandemic, which would have been enough to send most folks on the first flight back home.
Bushby had two rules: he would use no mechanical forms of transport, and wouldn’t go home until he got there on foot.
He even told family members that he wouldn’t be home if there was a funeral, but as we prepare for 2026, the Brit is closing in on a return to the UK, where he probably won’t last long after realising how expensive it is these days compared to the rest of the world.
Now 56, Bushby’s journey took him up through the Americas, across to Russia and then through to Asia, and now he’s on the home straight back to the UK, although he may have to swim the Channel to get there
The walk hasn’t been without its intense physical and mental challenges, as he passed through a war zone, narrowly avoided a polar bear attack and swam 186 miles in a month as he crossed the Caspian sea last year.
He’s also benefited from some technological advancements, buying his first touch screen back in 2013, while regular updates on TikTok have seen him amass over 350,000 followers.
Speaking to CBS News, he said: “I’ve found nothing but the best in those 27 years, which has just been remarkable.
He added: “Don’t be afraid, get off the couch, get out of bed, make it happen. That first step will open up a world of possibilities and opportunities, so don’t be afraid.”
Karl has around 2,000 miles to go, having travelled over 30,000 miles since first setting off, and it’s predicted that he could be home with a cuppa before the end of next year.
What’s perhaps most impressive is that he managed it all without Google Maps or a phone before 2013, and it’s probably a foreign concept to most of his viewers on TikTok that there was a time where people made do without their phones.
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