11 Presidents Who Traveled to the Most Countries During Their Presidency

Traveling is part of the job when you’re the president of the United States. But not all presidents are the same when it comes to face-to-face meetings. These are the presidents that spent the most time inside Air Force One.

The Data

The US Department of State’s Office of the Historian has kept presidential travel records since 1901. This data, along with Pew Research Center’s analysis of modern presidential travel, was used to rank the most well-traveled US presidents by the number of countries visited. This list does not include presidents prior to 1900. 

1: George W. Bush

During his eight-year term, George W. Bush visited 73 countries, more than any other US president. His inaugural trip was to Mexico, followed by trips to every continent except Antarctica. He also made the third round-the-world flight by a president when he went to Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. 

Bush’s Most Notable Trip 

George W. Bush made two trips to sub-Saharan Africa. During his 2008 trip, he visited three of the poorest countries in the world at that time: Liberia, Rwanda, and Benin. 

2: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton put quite a few miles on Air Force One, visiting 72 countries in 54 trips. He made two dozen trips to continental Europe, where he took an active role in negotiating peace in the Balkans as well as in the Middle East. 

Clinton’s Most Notable Trip

In October 1994, Bill Clinton visited Jordan to attend the signing of the historic Israel-Jordan peace agreement. 

3: Barack Obama

Barack Obama set the record for the most-traveled US president during their first year in office, taking the most trips (10), visiting the most countries (21), and spending the most days abroad (37). Throughout his eight-year term, the 44th US president made 52 trips to 58 countries. 

Obama’s Most Notable Trip

In March 2016, Barack Obama visited Cuba to commemorate the renewal of diplomatic relations after a 54-year stretch of tension. He became the first US president to visit the island nation since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. 

4: George H.W. Bush 

With 26 trips to 58 countries, George H.W. Bush set the standard for the frequent international travel we’ve come to expect from modern US presidents. He is also credited with starting the tradition of surprise presidential visits to troops on Thanksgiving. 

Bush’s Most Notable Trip 

George H.W. Bush visited Moscow and Kyiv in the summer of 1991, during which he signed the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the former Soviet Union. 

5: Richard Nixon

Prior to his unceremonial departure from office in 1974, Richard Nixon visited 31 countries on 15 international trips. He was the first US president to visit various communist nations, including Romania, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Soviet Union. 

Nixon’s Most Notable Trip 

A 1972 visit to China was the highlight of the Nixon administration’s diplomatic agenda, signaling the resumption of cordial relations between the two countries. 

6: Ronald Reagan

In addition to taking 25 trips to 26 countries, Ronald Reagan ordered two new military aircraft that would become what we know today as Air Force One. These souped-up planes gave the president access to all the trappings a traveling head of state needs, including showers, bedrooms, boardrooms, and the latest communication equipment.   

Reagan’s Most Notable Trip

Ronald Reagan is perhaps best known for his impassioned speech at the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987. Other memorable trips he made to Germany include attending the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe and the country’s 750th-anniversary celebrations. 

7: Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter made 12 international trips to 25 countries during his four-year term. He visited the Middle East several times to broker peace talks, for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.  

Carter’s Most Notable Trip 

In 1978, Jimmy Carter met with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo on the first presidential US State visit to sub-Saharan Africa. 

8: Dwight D. Eisenhower

By the time he left office in 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower had visited 26 countries on 16 international trips, including one trip to South Korea as president-elect. He also flew on the first plane to be given the call sign Air Force One. 

Eisenhower’s Most Notable Trip 

In December 1959, Eisenhower embarked on a 22,000-mile “Flight to Peace” tour that took him to 11 countries in 19 days.

9: Donald Trump

During his four-year term, Donald Trump made 19 trips to 24 countries, including a surprise Christmas visit to troops in Iraq in 2018. 

Trump’s Most Notable Trip 

During the 2018 Singapore Summit, Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean leader. Just one year later, he also became the first US president to enter North Korea while in office. 

10: Joe Biden

While Joe Biden may have traveled less than his predecessors, he still made an impressive 17 trips to 19 countries during his first two years in office. Not included in this total is a respectful but non-diplomatic visit to the UK for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Biden’s Most Notable Trip 

In February 2023, Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

11: Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Franklin D. Roosevelt got around quite a bit, making 20 international trips to 17 countries during his extraordinarily long presidency. His earliest travels were by ship, but in 1943 he became the first sitting president to cross the Atlantic by plane. 

Roosevelt’s Most Notable Trip

FDR’s trans-Atlantic crossing was noteworthy for more than one reason. Not only was he the first president to make the trip by plane, but he also became the first incumbent to visit North Africa when he touched down on his secret visit to Casablanca in 1943. 

Most Visited Countries by US Presidents

Whether officially or for leisure, US presidents have visited Canada and France a combined total of 41 times over the past century, more than any other country on Earth. These are followed closely by the UK (36), Mexico (33), Germany (32), and Italy (30). 

Visitor Log

If you’re curious about seeing the people who have visited the White House, you can review the visitor log, which they update monthly. The list isn’t inclusive but contains over one million entries since Biden has been in office.

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