Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • WeLoveUs.shop
  • 2026 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Culture

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels

Our globe-trotting POTUS is #travelgoals. President Obama has not only visited Africa more than any other sitting U.S. president, but he has also earned the title of the most-traveled president in American history. Take a look back at some of our favorite times that he has laid footprints across the planet, and see just how much he's loved by the world!
By Joslyn Winkfield · Updated October 27, 2020
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
01
Athens, Greece
US President Barack Obama walks from the Parthenon during a tour of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
02
Athens, Greece
US President Barack Obama (L) walks with Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the Acropolis Museum, during a tour in Athens, Greece in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
03
Madrid, Spain
US President Barack Obama (L) takes part in a bilateral meeting with Spain’s King Felipe at the Palacio Real de Madrid in Madrid, Spain in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
04
Laos
Barack Obama (the first presidenr to ever visit Laos) greets monks as he tours the Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist Temple in Luang Prabang in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
05
Laos
Obama cools off with a fresh coconut as he makes a surprise stop for a drink alonside the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
06
Lima, Peru
US President Barack Obama and dignitaries from all over Asia wave during the traditional “family photo” on the final day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit at the Lima Convention Centre in Lima in 2016..
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
07
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Barack Obama shakes hands with members of the audience after speaking at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative town hall event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
08
Vietnam
US President Barack Obama pays his respects with Abbot of the Jade Emperor Pagoda Thich Minh Thong during a visit to the Jade Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
09
Hiroshima, Japan
Barack Obama comforts Shigeaki Mori, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, during a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
10
Ise, Japan
Barack Obama walks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Ujibashi bridge as they visit at the Ise-Jingu Shrine in Japan in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Chung Sung-Jun
11
London, England
President Obama hangs out with little Prince George and his parents Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace in London, England in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images
12
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama get some tango lessons with dancers during a state dinner at the Kirchner Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
13
Havana, Cuba
On his historic visit, President Obama greets local people in Old Havana in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza
14
Havana, Cuba
The President and First Family do the wave as they take in a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National team with Cuban President Raúl Castro in Havana, Cuba in 2016.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza
15
Nairobi, Kenya

US President Barack Obama greets the crowd after speaking at Safaricom Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya in 2015.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
AUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
16
Nairobi, Kenya

US President Barack Obama inspects a guard of honour in 2015 at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images
17
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Barack Obama stands alongside workers as they pack boxes of foods during a tour of Faffa Food, which produces low-cost and high-protein foods, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2015.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
18
Kruen, Germany

President Barack Obama greets locals dressed in traditional Bavarian folk dress while strolling in the village center in Kruen, Germany in 2015.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
19
El Reno, Oklahoma
US President Barack Obama tours a cell block at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma President Obama is the first sititng U.S. President to visit a federal prison.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
20
Kingston, Jamaica

Obama waves as a rainbow glistens in the sky at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica in 2015.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
21
Vatican City

US President Barack Obama meets Pope Francis at his private library in the Apostolic Palace in 2014 in Vatican City, Vatican.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Vatican Pool/Getty Images
22
Wiltshire, England

arack Obama tours Stonehenge in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England in 2014.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
23
Brisbane, Austrailia

Obama holds a koala before of the G20 summit in Brisbane, Austrailia in 2014.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
24
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Barack Obama is seen as he gives a press conference during a visit to the Rijksmuseum ahead of the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Jerry Lampen – Pool/Getty Images
25
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

US President Barack Obama dances to music upon arrival on Air Force One at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
AUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
26
Stockholm, Sweden

US President Barack Obama  meets King Carl Gustaf of Sweden during a reception at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
27
Cape Town, South Africa

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk through a prison yard as they tour Robben Island outside Cape Town, South Africa, in 2013. Obama was “deeply humbled” by a visit to the cell where Nelson Mandela spent years as a prisoner

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
28
Dakar, Senegal

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama look out from the Door of No Return while touring the House of Slaves on Goree Island off the coast of Dakar, Senegal in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
29
Petra, Jordan

Obama views the area near the Treasury during a tour of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
30
Jerusalem, Israel

President Obama lays a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, which commemorates the six million Jewish Holocaust victims killed by the Nazis during World War II in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
31
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Barack Obama jumps into the ocean at Pyramid Rock Beach in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii in 2013.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images
32
Bangkok, Thailand

US President Barack Obama tours the Wat Pho Royal Monastery in Bangkok, Thailand in 2012.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
33
San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico

President Barack Obama speaks with Chief of Staff Jack Lew while waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrive for their bilateral meeting in 2012 in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images
34
Camp Bonifas, Republic of Korea

Obama uses binoculars to view the DMZ from Observation Post Ouellette at Camp Bonifas, Republic of Korea in 2012.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
35
Cartagena, Colombia

 President Barack Obama waves with a representative of the Afro-Colombia community after he spoke at an event to hand over land titles at the Plaza de San Pedroin Cartagena, Colombia in 2012

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
36
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

President Barack Obama is greeted upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2012

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
37
Rangoon, Burma

Obama stands barefoot in front of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma, in 2012.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
38
Afghanistan

President Barack Obama salutes as he arrives to address troops during a visit to Bagram Air Field in 2012 in Afghanistan.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
ANDEL NGAN/AFP/GettyImages
39
San Salvador, El Salvador

US President Barack Obama alongside President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador (L) and Monsignor Jose Luis Escobar Alas (R), Archbishop of San Salvador, tour the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador in 2011.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
40
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Barack, Michlle and his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, tour the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2011. 

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
41
Mumbai, India

Obama joins the First Lady on the dance floor at Holy Name High School in Mumbai, India in 2010.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
42
Kamakura, Japan

The President eats green tea-flavored ice cream during his visit to the Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Japan in 2010.

 

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
43
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Barack Obama rides his bicycle with daughter Sasha nd other family friends along the Lobsterville beach on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
44
Istanbul, Turkey

Barack Obama (2nd R) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (3rd R) tour in 2009 the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
45
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud attend a welcoming reception at the king’s ranch in al-Janadriya in the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
46
Prague

Barack and Michelle Obama greet the crowd prior to Obama’s speech at Hradcansky square in 2009 in Prague

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
47
Paris, France

The President and the First Family look out at the view from the Centre Pompidou modern art museum in Paris in 2009.

 

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
48
Ottawa, Canada

Barack Obama walks with Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean upon his arrival at the Ottawa International Airport in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
49
Moscow, Russia

Obama dines with his family on the roof of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow in 2009.

 

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
50
Accra, Ghana

President Obama speaks to the crowd at the departure ceremony at Accra airport in Ghana in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House
51
Cairo, Egypt

President Barack Obama tours the Egypt’s Great Sphinx of Giza (L) and the Pyramid of Khafre in 2009 outside of Cairo, Egypt. 

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images
52
Beijing, China

US President Barack Obama tours the Great Wall of China in Badaling, outside of in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
53
Baghdad, Iraq

US President Barack Obama (R) greets troops during a visit to Camp Victory, just outside Baghdad, in 2009.

54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
54
Wajir, Kenya
Before winning the election, then Senator Barack Obama toured Kenya’s northeastern district of Wajir in 2006.
54 Iconic Pictures from President Obama's International Travels
STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
TOPICS:  Barack Obama