How many trips has President Bush (the current one) taken out of the
United States since he was inaugurated as President?  I'm looking for
an authoritative
number, with links to source documentation.  Don't need to know
exactly where he went or when he went there, or even why.

P.S. Trips to Hawaii and Alaska, if any, don't count.  I'm looking for
trips outside of our borders and into another country.  Also, if he
went to Europe and visited several countries during one trip, I would
count that as one trip.

Hi natalieemt-ga,

  I've thought of this same question myself
  before but was never motivated enough to
  find an answer -- so I'm happy you asked it!

  First, I found this September 3, 2002 article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A27592-2002Sep2?language=printer

  that quotes "Mark Knoller, the leading 
  collector of modern presidential arcana."
  and says:

Bush's pattern of foreign travel is similarly intriguing for a
president who frowns on the "intercontinental" set. Bush has visited
18 countries and the Vatican in nine overseas trips, keeping pace with
Clinton, who took eight trips to 26 countries during his first two
years.

  Next, I searched whitehouse.gov for all of Ari 
  Fleischer's press briefings after September 3
  that contained the word "travel".  That gave 72 
  results.  I worked through each of those and 
  found 4 trips:

    1)
10 Oct 02

He will travel to Mexico, where he'll take part in the APEC Summit of
leaders from the Pacific Ocean countries, including leaders from Japan
and China, again, and Russia, as well as Mexico and Canada and other
nations.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021010-2.html

    2)
November 15, 2002

Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Dr. Rice on the
President's Trip to NATO Summit

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/11/20021115-1.html

    3) 
December 12, 2002

One final announcement, then I'm happy to take your questions.
President Bush will travel to Africa on January 10th to the 17th, to
continue to build America's partnership with the continent.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021213-6.html

    4) 
March 14, 2003

One final announcement. The President will travel to the Azores on
Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Blair, Prime Minister Aznar, Prime
Minister Barroso, to discuss how best to proceed to make it
unequivocally clear to Saddam Hussein that there will be serious
consequences if he fails to disarm.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030314-12.html


    That gives a total of 13 trips.

    I hope that's enough research and information for you.

                dogbite-ga


  P.S. I was really hoping to find a site that
       recorded his daily activities.  If anybody
       knows of one, please comment and let me know.

A timeline of George W. Bush's trips outside the US, which is current
up to November 2002 can be found at the following State Department
website: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/trvl/pres/5218.htm. As well,
trips outside the US for any President since 1906 when Teddy Roosevelt
made the first Presidential visit abroad can be found at:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/trvl/pres/c7383.htm.

Thank you for the state department links.  I wonder
why it is not current.  Do you think it is just a
lag in updating the webpage?

But that's a great page -- thanks.

           dogbite-ga