List of international trips made by presidents of the United States

The general public did not want their president mingling with royalty, visiting grand palaces, or exchanging bows with kings and queens.

[1] This taboo was broken in the early 20th century, as policy makers at the federal level began to reevaluate the nation's role in international affairs.

The first international presidential trip, Theodore Roosevelt's 1906 visit to Panama, signaled a new era in how presidents conducted diplomatic relations with other countries.

[2] Roosevelt's four immediate successors made at least one international trip while in office, cementing the acceptability of presidential global travel.

He made multiple long-distance trips abroad by plane, each one an offshoot of Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II.

Lyndon B. Johnson, who flew 523,000 miles aboard Air Force One while in office, made the first round-the-world presidential trip in December 1967.

[3] When Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Panama in November 1906 to inspect progress on the canal, he became the first U.S. president to leave the country while in office.

Taft and Mexican president Porfirio Díaz exchanged visits across the Mexico–United States border, at El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, in October 1909.

While filled with much symbolism, the meetings did pave the way for the start of construction on the Elephant Butte Dam project in 1911, even as Mexico fell into revolution.

Greeted dock-side by the premier of British Columbia and the mayor of Vancouver, he was given a parade through the city to Stanley Park, where he spoke to an audience estimated at over 40,000.

[12] Calvin Coolidge traveled to Havana, Cuba, in January 1928, where he addressed the Sixth International Conference of American States.

[18] His early travels were by ship, frequently for fishing vacations to the Bahama Banks, Canadian Maritimes or Newfoundland Island.

One such fishing expedition in August 1941 was a subterfuge to cover his first official meeting with Winston Churchill, the so-called Atlantic Conference.

[21] He also traveled abroad once while president-elect, visiting South Korea in December 1952, fulfilling a campaign pledge to investigate what might get stalled Korean War peace talks moving forward.

Columbine II, one of four propeller-driven aircraft introduced to presidential service during Eisenhower's first term in office, was the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One.

[25] The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.

On his "Flight to Peace" goodwill tour in December 1959, the president visited 11 nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days aboard the VC-137 SAM970.

The president began the trip by going to the memorial service for Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, who had disappeared in a swimming accident and was presumed drowned.

[32] Ford made the first visit of a sitting president to Japan, and followed it with a trip to the Republic of Korea and the Soviet Union (to attend the Vladivostok Summit).

After that time, the president had access to inflight bedrooms and showers, boardrooms, and communication equipment and with refueling virtually unlimited range.

He went to Europe eleven times, Asia twice, and South America once, along with a number of shorter trips during his four years in office.

Bill Clinton made 54 trips to 72 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank and Gaza) during his presidency.

On November 15–20, 2006, Bush made the third round the world presidential flight (after Johnson and Nixon) when he went to Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

He set the record as the most-traveled president for any first year in office: he took the most trips, visited the most countries, and spent the most days abroad.

One year later, in June 2019, Trump also became the first U.S. president to cross over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and enter North Korea while in office.

He made six trips abroad in 2022, including a September visit to the United Kingdom for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Map of countries by the number of visits made by a president of the United States, as of February 08, 2023.
  • United States
  • 40+ visits
  • 30-39 visits
  • 20-29 visits
  • 15-19 visits
  • 10-14 visits
  • 5-9 visits
  • 1-4 visits
  • No known visits
Countries visited by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency, 1933–45
Countries visited by Harry S. Truman during his presidency, 1945–53
Countries visited by Dwight D. Eisenhower during his presidency, 1953–61
Countries visited by John F. Kennedy during his presidency, 1961–63
Countries visited by Lyndon B. Johnson during his presidency, 1963–69
Countries visited by Richard Nixon during his presidency, 1969–74
Countries visited by Gerald Ford during his presidency, 1974–77
Countries visited by Jimmy Carter during his presidency, 1977–81
Countries visited by Ronald Reagan during his presidency, 1981–89
Countries visited by George H. W. Bush during his presidency, 1989–93
Countries visited by Bill Clinton during his presidency, 1993–2001
Countries visited by George W. Bush during his presidency, 2001–2009
Countries visited by Barack Obama during his presidency, 2009–2017
Countries visited by Donald Trump during his first presidency, 2017–2021
Countries visited by Joe Biden during his presidency, 2021–2025