Kevin Rudd sick of flying overseas

Prime minister Kevin Rudd sick of flying overseas | National News | News.com.au

HE'S spent one in five days criss-crossing the globe but Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he would gladly tear up his passport.

"I would happily not get on a plane again in my life," the jet-lagged PM declared yesterday.

But in just 12 days, Mr Rudd will again dust off his passport and board his RAAF 737 for a 16-hour return flight to Bali.

Earlier this year, Mr Rudd was "lasso-ed" into co-chairing the December 10 Bali Democracy Forum by a very enthusiastic Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Rudd will spend more time flying to Bali than he will actually spend on the ground. A maximum of six hours in the tourist haven, then it's wheels-up, his office confirmed.

The Bali trip will take Mr Rudd's global travel to more than 70 days since he was elected a year ago, and he has at least one more overseas visit to make - Thailand for the ASEAN summit - before clocking off for Christmas.

No wonder he was sounding croaky and looking a tad weary yesterday.