What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid? The British Adventurer Walking the World

Author: Lina Nafie

In my previous job, a woman I had interviewed asked me, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” - this sentence really stuck with me. She was right , what would I do if I were not afraid? What would any of us do if we were not afraid? And then I got a glimpse of what someone is capable of doing when they are not afraid and when they fully believe in their capabilities to achieve anything they put their mind to.
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Youth Jam had the pleasure of talking with Karl Bushby, a former paratrooper in the British Army, an adventurer, and a man on an incredibly long journey that has reached its final stage. A man who decided to push his own limits. How? By engaging in the longest unbroken walk around the world: The Goliath Expedition.
A long quest Karl began on 1 November 1998, when he started his journey from Punta Arenas in Chile with the mission to walk back home to Hull, England. An expedition that sounded impossible, and many believed was not, but Karl, never doubting himself, just kept going, for no other reason than wanting to see how far it is possible for humankind to walk.

“I don’t know how people will remember this, they will remember it in a different way. It wasn’t meant to be a statement or anything; it was just a personal thing,” he shares.
Karl Bushby was born in England on 30 March 1969. At the early age of 16, he joined the British Army, where he remained for 11 years. Bushby shared with Youth Jam that his inspiration for this fantastic hike came while he was enrolled in the army.

“While I was in the army, we did everything on our feet. It was all about distance, endurance and self-reliance. It was about seeing how far we can go. What is the longest journey on foot?”

As he was investigating the feasibility of his mission by exploring maps, he realised that crossing the Bering Strait seemed possible and that he could therefore draw a line between both the American and Asian continents. And so, he decided to embark on this mission.

Great journeys in life are always full of obstacles, and this fascinating quest was no exception. As expected, Karl ran into many challenges that could have been enough to discourage him from completing his mission, and yet he never doubted himself. In fact, he told Youth Jam that quitting was never an option and never even crossed his mind.

“I never thought any of that. I always wanted to keep going. There could’ve been moments where I could have given up, but I was always confident I would find a solution to the problems.”

He went on to explain that his strength, resilience, and self-confidence are skills he developed and reinforced in the army.
“The army conditions you to feel bulletproof, and you need to prove it. There were people who didn’t believe in me, and it took hard years to prove my dedication to the mission.” Thus, he insists on his determination to complete what he started.
The first obstacle was loneliness. Karl admitted it would get to him sometimes, along with the pressure he felt knowing so many people were counting on him to complete his journey. Nevertheless, he revealed that in nearly three decades, he never found himself longing for home.

“I didn’t really miss home, nor did I really miss England. I fully understood what this mission would mean, and I was just happy to be on the trek. I was too focused on what was going on to think about home.”
But the most dreadful challenges were lost relationships, more so than the physical and administrative. The physical and administrative challenges mainly came from crossing borders and moving from one country to another.
“There were tense moments, especially in those gaps.”

Like crossing the Bering Strait, for example. Karl recounted that he didn’t believe he could make it across on the first attempt, and few others believed he could either, or were willing to support his attempt to cross it.

“There were many attempts in the past, and I had to learn from them. But I was very lucky that the weather conditions and everything went well. We managed to pull it off the first time, while pulling sledges through and over the Strait.”
Another challenging border was when he was stuck in Turkmenistan, in Central Asia. He had managed to get through the country and was trying to figure out how to reach Iran. However, it seemed to be a dead end, as the sponsors couldn’t help him and geopolitics was not in his favour. It was very difficult for British citizens to obtain a visa to enter Iran, and going back to Russia was not possible either.

“After taking a look at the Caspian Sea, we decided to swim through it. We ended up as a four-person team, along with two swimmers from Azerbaijan. I had to approach the Sports Minister in Azerbaijan, but it worked out well, and the support boats helped us. All the equipment was on the boat.”

In the midst of making history through a huge mission, Karl Bushby made history a second time with his team by completing the first ever recorded swim across the Caspian Sea.
But walking through the Darién Gap, the jungle between Colombia and Panama , turned out to be a particularly excruciating challenge during his journey.
 
 
“It gives pause for thought,” he told Youth Jam. The harsh living conditions , the plants, animals, and insects , added to the indigenous populations and bureaucratic troubles at the borders made the quest dreadful but memorable.
“Crossing the jungle into Panama, incredible experience, very dangerous and scary times. No one was willing to give us the chance.”
It is also important to note that the Darién Gap was the front line in a long fought conflict between the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, People's Army) and the Colombian government. It was a literal war zone that came with a list of dead travelers as a result.
And still, Karl just kept going. He kept walking, following his route, fearless and eager to see what he would discover in the next country and what the next challenge would be. It is important to note that during this journey, Karl discovered more about the world than he did about himself.

“As a young paratrooper I was constantly pushed to the edge, so I already had a pretty clear understanding of how far I could go. I already knew where my limits were, and this is what kept me going.”
Karl Bushby can be identified as one of the few people who went beyond what we can see, uncovering the mysteries of the world while on his mission. He shared with Youth Jam that he did indeed discover a lot about our planet.

“I discovered how nice the world is, and how helpful people are.”

He couldn’t think of one specific thing that struck him.

“Every country has its own attributes and memories. When you go to both ends of the emotional spectrum, it leaves a mark on you.”
Even communicating with people did not turn out to be as challenging as one might think. He confessed he had to learn Spanish and a little Russian, but nevertheless, communication was never his biggest challenge.
 
“It was okay to communicate with people. You can always find someone who speaks English, and most places have schools with English teachers.”
Two countries that stood out to Karl, and that he will always remember, are Chile and Colombia. Chile, because it was the first country where his incredible mission started.

“It was the early days, we didn’t have any money, it was crazy fun, it was the boys’ adventure.”

And Colombia, because of two main events: crossing the jungle into Panama, and his love story with a Colombian girl.
As of October 2025, Karl Bushby has reached Europe. Having already crossed Turkey and Bulgaria, he expects to make it back to the United Kingdom next year. He admitted to Youth Jam that reaching the end of this adventure is scary for him, as it has been such a huge part of his life, but he accepts that this mission is coming to an end.

“It is terrifying. This journey identifies who I am; it’s a major part of my life. This thing has to finish, it has to end. It will be good to arrive home and get it done, especially because I am getting older.”
The main element, legacy, and message Karl Bushby wishes to share through his incredible mission is not to be afraid, not to be afraid of travelling, of discovering the world, of going on an adventure.

“It’s important to show people how to travel, I’d even call it a form of essential education, and to remind them how wonderful the world truly is. We need to challenge the assumption that the world is a scary place.”
The fact that he spent so long out there is a testament to the strong message that we shouldn’t be scared to look beyond what we can see. In fact, one of the essential things Karl has been doing, besides documenting his adventure, is speaking in schools to encourage children to travel.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of school children to emphasise the importance of travelling for personal education. Travelling helps you have a better understanding of the world. Talk to people, and when you see an opportunity, jump on it.”

He added, “The world is terrifying, but there are a lot of places you can go that are amazing. Push yourself, you’ll gain confidence, it can hardly go wrong.”
Karl also wanted to emphasise that on a journey like this, it was not just him.

“It’s a collective effort. The world has been my support network, from people who nursed me back to health when I was sick, to family who raised funds for me. It took a world to get where I am. People tend to forget that as well. Thanks to the world, to sponsors.”
Now, if you ever wonder again, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Here is a magical example of what a person can do when they are fearless and push their limits so far that the planet becomes their playground.

Karl Bushby’s story of determination and confidence is a fascinating inspiration and a prime example for everyone, especially young people, who are scared. Karl never once doubted himself.

“I knew I was going to make it home. A bit of self confidence can take you a long long way”

Many people out there have goals they hope to achieve but don’t feel strong enough to pursue them. If you feel like you are among these people , if you feel too scared, or if you don’t believe in yourself enough to achieve your goals, Karl Bushby shared with Youth Jam some wise words.

 “Having confidence, determination, and the ability to understand what it is that you’re trying to do, in reality, to assess what it is that you’re trying to achieve , and approach it with confidence.”

 Finally, he added, “If you’re mission-oriented, understand what it’s going to take, what it’s going to demand of you. Start to play all the possible scenarios in your mind. Self-confidence.”