No matter who is the president, the opposition party delights in criticizing him for taking time off, billing it as insensitive to the problems of struggling Americans, demonstrating aristocratic excess, an astounding waste of taxpayer's money, or betraying some hedonistic character flaw.
Junior had 77 separate trips to Crawford during his presidency. He spent 1020 days on vacation, 487 days at Camp David, 490 days at Crawford Ranch, and 43 days at Kennebunkport Compound. That's more than 1/3 of his presidency on vacation. Carter took 79 days in 4 years. Clinton took 152 days in 8 years. Reagan took 335 days in 8 years. Bush Sr. took 543 days in 4 years. Obama has spent less time on vacation at this point in his presidency than anyone other than Carter.
Thomas Jefferson never liked being away from Monticello. He even went home regularly during critical deliberations of the Continental Congress. As vice president in 1799, he remained at Monticello and away from the capital for 10 months at one point. As president in 1805 he left for home mid-July and did not come back until October, setting the precedent for long presidential vacations which James Madison was to improve upon.
Madison, at the end of the War of 1812, with his administration nearly at an end, tired and eager to get away, he slipped out of Washington in June 1816 and didn't return until October. In previous years he took 3-month vacations, instead, but his four-month vacation was the longest of any president.
Unless you count the 7-month absence from the nation's capitol of John Adams when Abigail fell ill, at the height of our undeclared war with France. Adams went home to be with her. He remained with her on their farm in Massachusetts seven months. No other president stayed away from the capitol as long.
