The Son of Karl Bushby, The Man Who Spent 28 Years Walking Around The World, Does NOT Resent His Father For Abandoning The Family
If you spend much time on social media, or... idk... wherever else people go for weird not-actually-important news stories, you may have heard the tale of British adventurer Karl Bushby. He walked around the world. The whole ass world. On November 1st, 1998, Bushby caught a flight to Chile and proceeded to walk 31,000 miles through 30 countries. Two days ago (November 2nd, 2026), exactly 28 years and 1 day later, he returned home to his family in England.
On the surface, it's a bit of a cool story, and a hell of an accomplishment. I can see the appeal of it. The man got to see more of the world than most people ever have. In some ways, it probably beats working a 9-to-5. Instead of worrying about the stresses of everyday life, you're simply worried about walking. I'm sure it was challenging at times, like when he walked the Bering Strait. Crossed the Darien Gap. Or when he allegedly swam in the Caspian Sea for 31 days to reach Azerbaijan. However, for much of his journey, he could probably just shut off his brain, put one foot in front of the other, and take in the wonders of the planet.
But that's where the internet has turned on Karl Bushby. Karl Bushby wasn't a single man with no family. When he left home in 1998, he left behind not only his mother but also his 8-year-old son, Adam. At the time, Karl Bushby was already divorced, and Adam was living with his mother. But any hope Adam did have that his father would watch him grow up went completely out the window once Dad went on a 28-year cigarette run.
Another bit of information that has people thinking this Karl Bushby guy might be a bit of an asshole – Bushby set two very specific rules for his expedition. The first rule was obvious: NO TRANSPORTATION. He could only make progress along his route by walking, climbing, swimming, etc. But he didn't make his 28-year journey in a single shot. He would often need to leave a country when his visa expired, or when he needed to "obtain funding". So at times, Bushby would take a break from his route, go do whatever he needed to do, then fly back and resume his walk from where he last left off.
His second rule – NO RETURNING HOME TO HIS FAMILY. Not until he'd completed his journey. So instead of flying home to, say, check on his son, he had a home base in Mexico. He also spent some time in the United States. Especially when he needed to raise money.
So imagine being this guy's family. They can't see Dad because he's busy walking around the world. Even though Dad takes breaks from his journey all the time to fly to Mexico. But according to "the rules"... rules Dad made for himself... he was NOT to go home and check on his family. "Sorry, son. I wish I could be at your graduation. Or come home for the birth of my granddaughter. BUT THE RULES SAY I have to be in Mexico right now.
That's a little shady. I mean... I kind of get it. It would seem even more like cheating if he could fly home to England. But is flying to Mexico much different? On top of taking breaks in Mexico, Bushby somehow had a Colombian girlfriend for 7 years? And a Japanese girlfriend for 3? That makes his "NO HOME TO FAMILY" rule seem even worse. To have the "comfort" of his own family back in England would be cheating. But starting a new family (or at least having a companion to go home to) on the other side of the world was perfectly legal.
Busbhy did allow his son Adam to join him for part of his journey. When Adam was 14, he flew to Alaska to walk with Dad for 10 days as part of a National Geographic documentary project. So he did see his son (at least once). He just couldn't see him back home in Hull.
On top of all that, parts of Bushby's journey don't quite add up. Specifically the swimming part. Ross Clark, a writer for a British publication called The Spectator, made this point.
The Spectator – I’ll take him at his word, even if certain parts of his story don’t seem to add up. Bushby claims that he was walking at a rate of 18 miles a day. I know it is a long way around the world, but even so, at that rate it would take less than five years to walk 31,000 miles. On closer inspection, it turns out he shacked up with a Colombian girl for seven of those 28 years and a Japanese girl he met in Mongolia for a further three years. That still leaves approximately 13 years unaccounted for.
Bushby is also reported to have swum 184 miles across the Caspian Sea. What, still tugging his famous trolley behind him? Even if he did stick to his golden rule of not taking any form of transport on his journey, his luggage certainly must have done.
You can't swim 184 miles with all this in tow.
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I'm getting a little nitpicky at this point, but there's a correlation between how difficult/legitimate Karl Bushby's journey was, and how bad it was of him to abandon his family. For example, had Karl Bushby discovered a new plant that cured cancer on his journey, he would be totally justified. But if he spent 7 years pussyfooting around living with his Colombian girlfriend… well, at that point… just go see your kid, man. Go meet your granddaughter for the first time (which he never had until he arrived home – she is now 12).
To Karl Bushby's credit, he at least acknowledges that his journey was inherently selfish… to some extent. But at the same time, he compares himself to great explorers like Ernest Shackleton, who was apparently an even worse father.
The Guardian – Totally self-centred,” agrees Bushby. “This 28 years has been about keeping me. I have been the centre of my world. It has been about getting me from A to B, looking after me, giving me the money so I can survive. Totally self-centred.”
Has his family told him he’s been selfish? “Not family, no.”
“Everyone else!” Maxwell says, laughing.
“When you look at some of our great heroes, like Shackleton and Cook, they were the worst family men you could humanly imagine,” Bushby says. “They abandoned families left, right and centre. That’s the bit that people don’t think about. Those people had families back home, and they never saw their father.”
But Ernest Shackleton was discovering new lands. He was a crucial part of the "Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration". He led rescue missions that saved people's lives. As far as I can tell, Karl Bushby didn't discover anything new. He just wanted to go exploring for himself.
To be fair to Bushby, his family doesn't seem that upset with him. They were part of his big welcome home celebration. He seems to have a pretty decent relationship with his son. And this isn't an excuse, but if you're his son Adam, and your dad is already kind of a deadbeat who's not in your life… getting to say you have an Adventure Dad would be kind of cool. It's probably better than a dad who's constantly disappointing you at home. At least Karl Bushby wasn't doing things to actively make his son's life worse. He just… wasn't there. Take it from Adam Bushby himself.
I wrote this whole blog before realizing The Yak had just already interviewed the guy. God damn it. But all's well that ends well. Hopefully Dad can get a book deal, or find a way to make some money off his 15 minutes of fame (that took 28 years of effort to earn). Maybe he can parlay his EXTENDED absence into something that will help the family. His hometown sure treated him like a hero upon his return. This has got to be worth something.
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To me, Karl Bushby just seems like he was your run-of-the-mill absent father. Which isn't something to be celebrated, but at least he did something with his life. Surely there are much worse fathers out there who we do celebrate on a regular basis. Just run down the roster of any professional sports team. Or so many other highly successful people.
But I suppose those highly successful people can make up for it financially. I'm not sure quite how profitable Karl Bushby's "The Longest Journey Home" UK speaking tour will be.
Maybe all 6 of those dates will earn him a fraction of what Anthony Edwards does in a single game.
Sounds like you had a hell of a 28-year walk, Karl. Good luck assimilating back into the real world. Please try to do something for your family now that you're back. I don't want to see you living back in Mexico a month from now.