Man who walked 31,000 miles in 28 years makes worrying admission as he finally returns home

A man who walked 31,000 miles across 30 countries in 28 years has made a worrying admission about reintegrating into society after his 'Goliath Expedition'.

On Monday, 57-year-old Karl Bushby was given a hero's welcome as he returned home to his mother's house in Hull after a mammoth 28-year challenge where he pushed his trolley loaded with essentials through four continents.

Bushby, a former paratrooper, began his adventure in Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost city in South America, as a 29-year-old in November 1998.

He had predicted his expedition would take 12 years, but it ended up being more than double that time, as Bushby voyaged through jungles, deserts and the Caspian Sea.

Karl Bushby makes worrying admission after record-breaking 28-year voyage

Bushby had an emotional reunion with his mother Angela in his hometown of Hull, with large crowds gathered and a strong news presence which included a helicopter tracking him on his final stretch.

But after completing the almighty quest and enjoying a patty butty, Bushby has been met with the realisation that he may struggle with life.

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As per Stuff, he admitted: “My purpose and reason for living is about to end. It’s going to be difficult trying to blend back into a society that you just don’t know any more.”

Having committed half of his life to the record-breaking odyssey, Bushby is now set to live in his mother's basement for the time being.

Karl Bushby's incredible expedition included polar bears and armed men

Bushby's plan to travel around the world on foot came courtesy of his dad Keith, an Army veteran, after he mentioned an argument some soldiers had about walking from London to New York over the Bering land bridge.

After drawing a line on a map across Europe and Asia to North America, he got down to business. There were two strict rules that Bushby stuck to throughout the whole journey. With just $500 at the start, he was not allowed to use any form of transportation, ruling out planes, trains, boats and bicycles - and he could not head back home until he had conquered.

As expected, the journey was not without its fair share of obstacles. He travelled across the frozen sea of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, the roadless and dangerous Darien Gap and avoided guerrilla war in Colombia by choosing the better option of crocodile-infested waters.

Bushby also came across a polar bear, was threatened at gunpoint in Peru and was jailed in Panama, Russia and China.

Airlifted and rescued during the Bering Strait, it took him 10 years to get through Russia because of visa issues.

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Bushby's adventure, of which he saw the English Channel, also spanned the 2008 financial crash and COVID-19 pandemic. His efforts were praised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who called his feat "remarkable".

Reflecting on his achievement, Bushby said: “It took a world to get me here. The kindness of strangers – so many, from individuals to nation states, to get me back here. I didn’t do this alone. There was a big team, the biggest team: Earth.

“We faced down governments, we faced down some of the hardest challenges, we had to create two world records just to get back here. It was a global effort.”

Upon arrival back home, he was also reunited with his 36-year-old son and met his 12-year-old granddaughter for the first time.

The upcoming documentary film overseen by German filmmaker Werner Herzog promises to be nothing short of incredible.