Daniel Bouchard speaks to reporters on Monday with his parents by his side. (CBC)

A man from White Rock who was reported missing nearly two weeks ago has apologized for the trouble he caused when he left the country without telling anyone.

Daniel Bouchard, 20, arrived home on Saturday night after an unannounced trip to Mexico. His family, friends and police began an intensive search for him after he apparently disappeared on June 9.

On Monday, Bouchard said he left suddenly to escape a stressful situation at work.

"My problem is my pride. I have a very big problem asking for help," Bouchard said.

"The whole scenario could have been a lot different and I apologize for that, but I was not thinking clearly at the time," he said.

Bouchard went missing two weeks ago after he was seen leaving a pub in White Rock, a suburb south of Vancouver.

Then last Thursday, the RCMP said Bouchard had bought a plane ticket at the Vancouver airport and left the country.

But Bouchard didn't know his friends and family were searching for him until Friday when he called to ask his parents for help, explaining that he had been robbed and needed money to get home, said his father, Dan Bouchard.

RCMP investigators are trying to find out why Daniel Bouchard travelled outside Canada without alerting his family. (Bouchard family)

"He needed help. He was out of money and needed a way home," Bouchard said.

The young man wasn't escaping trouble with the law or criminals, his father said.

"It was nothing like that. It was nothing to do with anybody after him, or needing to go and hide. He just needed to get away," Bouchard said.

Tara Macintyre, a friend who helped circulate posters for the search, told CBC News many friends are still wondering why he left without telling anyone.

"Maybe he's just a dumb boy, maybe he just didn't think it through, or maybe he just left for his own reasons and maybe he was running away from problems or something," Macintyre said.

Macintyre said she isn't angry with Bouchard, just happy he's home.