He has been imprisoned in Panama, narrowly avoided deportation from Russia and dodged Central American drug gangs.
But ex-paratrooper Karl Bushby fears his 27-year odyssey of walking home from Chile may be scuppered – by the Channel Tunnel.
He may instead have to swim back to the UK if he is to fulfil his goal of walking from South America back to his home town of Hull without using any transport.
Mr Bushby, now 56, set off from Chile in 1998 believing his trek would take 12 years.
Geopolitics, war and visa issues slowed his progress, but 36,000 miles later – including trekking right across North America – he is now in Hungary and expects to cross the Channel in October next year.
However, Mr Bushby is worried he might be denied permission to walk through the Eurostar service tunnel. This is the preferred option that would allow him to stick to the rule he set himself of not using any mechanised transport, including ferries. But, if he has to, he could swim across.
It would not be the first time he has taken to the water. In August last year, he swam more than 170 miles in 31 days across the Caspian Sea to avoid entering Iran or Russia.
His journey has also seen him dodge gangs in the Darien Gap in South America, cross the frozen Bering Strait and spend 18 days in prison in Panama after he crossed the border from Colombia which had closed because of conflict.
Karl Bushby in the early days of his challenge, trekking through Chile in 1999
The former paratrooper in Ecuador, two years into his challenge to get back to Hull using no transport
Mr Bushby fears he may not be granted permission to use the service tunnel under the Channel, and instead might have to swim
Russia was particularly tricky. He was nearly deported for not arriving at a correct port of entry in 2006.
And in 2013, he took a detour to the US to protest a visa ban, walking from the west coast to the Russian embassy on the east coast. It was not until 2017 that he was able to resume his journey and cross into Mongolia.
When he does eventually arrive on his mother’s doorstep in Hull, Mr Bushby will face a new challenge – deciding what to do next.
He said: ‘It’s a little daunting. Like anyone who’s had a long career, it’s retirement day. My purpose for living for the last 27 years will just come to a grinding halt.
‘I’ve got to get busy, I think. I don’t want to be sitting around.
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‘I’ve got to grow up and get a job, so that sucks. But we’ll figure it out.’
The service tunnel lies between the two Eurostar rail lines, and is used for maintenance and the evacuation of passengers in an emergency. Permission has to be secured to use it.
British cyclist Chris Froome became the first person to cycle through the tunnel in 2014, while Lance Dyer, a South African, walked through it illegally in 2005 wearing flip-flops. He was arrested by French police.
Mr Bushby said: ‘We haven’t reached out officially [to obtain permission] yet, I’m sitting on a letter right now, I just need to find the right contact.
‘Getting permission – I don’t know how hard that might be. I’m optimistic, but we’ll see.’
He joked: ‘The first alternative would be to take hostages. And lastly, to swim.’
