geekyFor most of the early Presidents, international travel was not much of an option except for diplomats or for the very wealthy. Prior to Theodore Roosevelt, no sitting president had traveled outside of the United States, not even to neighboring Canada or Mexico. Calvin Coolidge made only one trip as President, a 3 day trip to Cuba in January of 1928. Prior to the first President Roosevelt, all of his predecessors traveled to foreign nations either as diplomats (both Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Van Buren, W.H. Harrison, Buchanan and Taft) or in retirement (Van Buren, Fillmore, Pierce, Grant, and Benjamin Harrison). Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce and Ulysses Grant traveled to Mexico as soldiers and W. H. Harrison traveled to Canada as a soldier in the War of 1812, while Taft, Wilson and FDR vacationed there many years later. Some presidents never set foot outside of the United States (Madison, Jackson, Tyler, Polk, Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and McKinley.
George Washington accompanied his brother Lawrence on a trip to the Barbados in an attempt to improve Lawrence's health. In May of 1749, Lawrence was forced to give up his seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses due to a hacking cough that was believed to be the onset of tuberculosis. Lawrence sailed for England to consult physicians there, while George remained at home. During Lawrence's absence, young George contracted malaria. Lawrence returned from England, having found no cure for his disease there. The brothers Washington first traveled to western Virginia (modern day Berkley Springs, West Virginia) for the supposed healing waters of the natural spa there. George was unimpressed, complaining that the waters were "situated very badly on the east side of a steep mountain and enclosed by hills on all sides so that the afternoon's sun is hid by four o'clock and the fog hangs over us till nine or ten."
Lawrence next decided to try an open-air sanatorium in Barbados where persons with consumption often went. Lawrence was 33 at the time and his wife had just given birth to a daughter so she was unable to travel with him. Instead, his 19 year old brother George went along as caregiver and companion. They traveled during hurricane season, when storms were striking the West Indies. Their journey took 37 days and George kept a log of the trip. They arrived on November 3, 1751. When they arrived there, Lawrence was seen by Doctor William Hillary, who was optimistic about the elder Washington's recovery.
Young George recorded his favorable impressions of the local foliage and tropical flowers, as well as the cane and corn fields and fruit plantations. He had his first taste of avocado and pineapple. He also saw his first stage play, a production entitled "The London Merchant" by George Lillo. He also watched soldiers performing their drills and ships coming and going in Carlisle Bay.
The brothers rented rooms outside of Bridgetown from a Captain Crofton, who was the commander of Fort James. He gave the Washingtons a tour of the island, and of other sights, before Lawrence's health worsened and he became bedridden for most of the day. George made notes of the things he saw, including his attendance at the trial of Colonel Benjamin Charnock, who was accused of the rape of one of his slaves who served as his maid. The Colonel was acquitted of the crime, but Washington thought poorly of the Colonel, describing him as someone of "opulent fortune and infamous character".
George Washington had only been on the island for two weeks before he began to run a high fever and experienced severe headaches. Smallpox was suspected, and these suspicions were confirmed when red pustules turned up on his forehead and scalp a few days later. He was confined to bed for three weeks and treated by a Dr. John Lanahan. The pustules turned to scabs, before leaving Washington with a pockmarked nose, a detail not usually shown on his portraits.
On December 12, 1751, Washington was pronounced recovered from what was deemed a mild case of smallpox. A week later, he returned home to Virginia, aboard the ship Industry. The trip home was as unpleasant as the first visit. The seas were stormy and Washington suffered seasickness. He also had his money stolen by a seaman while asleep. This was to be his last sea voyage, and his last visit away from his native land.
Lawrence Washington died at his home of Mount Vernon in July of 1752. His widow Anne later remarried into the Lee family and twenty-year-old George lived at, and managed, the Mount Vernon plantation. Upon the death of Lawrence's widow Anne, George Washington inherited the estate at Mount Vernon.