Boy, 12, goes on 4-day trip to Bali after fight with parents

A 12-year-old boy flew to Bali, Indonesia, without his parents knowing. After a heated argument with his mum, Drew, not his real name, booked a connecting flight from Sydney to Perth and then to Denpasar, spending four days in a luxury hotel before he was found out.

His mum, Emma, spoke to 9News about the boy’s adventure, saying she was “shocked” and “disgusted” and adding that there was “no emotion to explain how we felt when we found he had left for overseas.” According to the mother of two, Drew used the family credit card and booked himself the flights after a heated argument with her. He tricked his nan into giving him his passport.

He told his parents he was off to school and then packed a backpack along with his scooter. He took a train to the airport. Because he knew he couldn’t fly on multiple Australian airlines without a letter from his mum and dad, he checked in through self-serve checkouts and entered the security gates to wait to board his flight to Perth.

Drew said no one asked him in Perth why he was travelling alone. They just asked for his student ID and passport to prove his age.

From Perth, he boarded his flight to Denpasar, even filming a video of the clouds while on the plane. And when the plane landed in the Bali capital, he booked accommodations at the All Seasons Hotel after jumping on a Go-Jek bike, a ride-hailing transport in Indonesia. He told staff at the hotel that he was checking in early before his sister arrived.

Meanwhile, Emma reported him as missing the moment he was informed he did not arrive in school. They eventually figured out Drew was in Bali. Emma had to jump on a plane to fetch him back.

His mother was understandable angry and upset, but Drew didn’t seem to mind that he was caught. “It was great because I wanted to go on an adventure,” he said.

The full story will air on “A Current Affair” on Nine on Monday.