Distance · 10 Sept 2026
Who travels most: the reported distance league table
Minimum reported travel distance and countries visited this year across the public figures tracked here, with the caveats that come with counting from news coverage.
Between them, the 16 public figures tracked here have been reported in enough different places this year to account for at least 642,790 km of travel. That figure is a floor, and the reason it is a floor matters more than the number itself.
How the distance is counted
Every appearance on this site comes from published reporting or an official schedule. When someone is reported in Paris on Tuesday and Berlin on Thursday, we add the shortest distance between the two cities. We do not know the route, the aircraft or whether there was a stop in between — so the total can only be a minimum.
This is not flight tracking and makes no claim about where anyone is right now. Each appearance links to the report it came from; the full working is on the methodology page.
Furthest so far this year
- 1
Donald Trumpat least 142,570 kmPresident of the United States
- 2
Volodymyr Zelenskyat least 120,120 kmPresident of Ukraine
- 3
JD Vanceat least 94,690 kmVice President of the United States
- 4
Marco Rubioat least 86,990 kmUS Secretary of State
- 5
Benjamin Netanyahuat least 57,760 kmPrime Minister of Israel
- 6
Anthony Albaneseat least 32,970 kmPrime Minister of Australia
- 7
Xi Jinpingat least 32,310 kmPresident of China
- 8
Recep Tayyip Erdoğanat least 25,160 kmPresident of Türkiye
- 9
Vladimir Putinat least 14,610 kmPresident of Russia
- 10
Andy Burnhamat least 11,800 kmPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
Donald Trump leads with at least 142,570 km, which on its own says less than the shape of the travel behind it: a handful of long-haul summits can outweigh months of regional trips.
Breadth, not just distance
Countries visited is the better measure of reach, and it ranks differently. A leader shuttling between two distant capitals racks up distance; one touring a region racks up countries.
- 1Volodymyr Zelensky30 countries
President of Ukraine
- 2Marco Rubio19 countries
US Secretary of State
- 3Recep Tayyip Erdoğan7 countries
President of Türkiye
- 4JD Vance7 countries
Vice President of the United States
- 5Donald Trump6 countries
President of the United States
- 6Xi Jinping6 countries
President of China
- 7Vladimir Putin4 countries
President of Russia
- 8
Ursula von der Leyen4 countriesPresident of the European Commission
- 9Benjamin Netanyahu3 countries
Prime Minister of Israel
- 10
Mohammed bin Salman2 countriesCrown Prince of Saudi Arabia
What the gaps mean
A low number here can mean someone stayed home, or that their movements were reported less. Domestic travel in particular is covered unevenly from country to country, so cross-country comparisons flatter the leaders who attract the most international press. The full set of leaderboards keeps those measures separate rather than rolling them into a single score.
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