During Bushs two terms, the cost of operating Air Force One ranged from $56,800 to $68,000 an hour. Bush used Air Force One 77 times to go to his ranch in Crawford, TX. Using the low end cost of $56,800, Media Matters calculated that each trip to Crawford cost taxpayers $259,687 each time, and $20 million total for Bushs ranch flights.
If cost of the flight was the only expense involved to taxpayers Bushs vacations would still seem rather economical, but there is more, much more. Unlike the Obamas $4 million Christmas vacation price tag, which includes the cost of everything from transportation to accommodations for the First Family, the White House staff, and the White House press corps, Bushs numbers only include the cost of flying the president to Crawford. The cost of transporting and accommodating staff, media, friends and family is not included in Bushs vacation numbers.
In response to growing criticism that the president was on vacation too much, the Bush administration adopted the Rovian tactic of scheduling, work events, while the president was in Crawford so that they could claim that President Bushs vacations were working vacations. During his infamous pre-9/11 August vacation, the AP reported that, Using the ranch as a base, he will promote White House initiatives in Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver, Albuquerque, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and San Antonio.
http://www.politicususa.com/cost-obama-christmas-vacation-bush.html