Boy Steals Family Credit Card, Takes Bali Vacation Alone After Fight With Mom

A 12-year-old Australian boy stole a family credit card to travel to an Indonesian island after getting into a disagreement with his family.

The child, given the pseudonym Drew, was told by his mother that he couldn’t travel alone, so he tricked his grandmother into giving him his passport and took a flight to Denpasar, Bali, by himself, Australia’s 9 News reported Saturday.

The boy’s journey began once he figured out that all he needed to fly on a plane unaccompanied was a valid passport and a student ID.

After he assured his parents that he was headed to school, the boy packed his belongings and took a train to an airport in Sydney.

"They just asked for my student ID and passport to prove that I’m over 12 and that I’m in secondary school," he told Australia's A Current Affair. "It was great because I wanted to go on an adventure."

The boy checked into the airport by himself and made his way through security gates. He then sat in the waiting area for his flight to Perth, which he would then take to Indonesia. He was only stopped at Perth International Airport and asked for his identification.

He managed to make it to Bali and checked into an All Seasons Hotel after telling staff members that he was waiting for his sister to arrive. He spent four days alone in the country.

"I sort of stuffed up because I got the deal cheap," he told the news outlet.

The boy’s mother, identified as Emma, eventually reported her son missing after she learned he never went to school. That’s when she discovered her son had traveled to the island alone.

"Shocked, disgusted. There’s no emotion to feel what we felt when we discovered that he had left overseas," she said. Once the boy was located, he was flown back from the country to his parents in Sydney.

Anyone under the age of 18 years of age who travels in Australia without a parent or relative who is 21 years or older is considered an "unaccompanied minor" according to the country’s Department of Home Affairs website.