The First Family are due to stay away from the White House until January 4

Obama family are off on eighth annual Hawaii trip from this Friday

Secret Service, local police and ambulance and other security also needed

Air Force One costs $206,000 an hour to fly, and is one expense of many

Head of Judicial Watch criticized cost of trip, which will spiral into millions

Barack Obama has been savaged by a top spending campaigner for taking the First Family on an eighth consecutive Christmas vacation to Hawaii, at huge expense to the American taxpayer.

The President was accused of treating Air Force One, which costs $206,000/hour to run, 'like an Uber ride' ahead of his next jaunt to his home state.

Fly-time alone will set taxpayers back somewhere in the region of $3.5million as Obama, the First Lady, Sasha and Malia and their two dogs jet off for around two weeks.

Let the chill begin: Barack Obama has come under fire again for the cost of his Christmas vacation. The Commander-in-Chief is pictured above enjoying a shaved ice with Malia Obama at the end of last year's holiday

Getting work out of the way: The President is pictured above giving a briefing on ISIS Monday. His vacation starts on Friday

Aloha: Sasha and Malia Obama join the President as he is greeted by Admiral Samuel Locklear III, head of the U.S Pacific Command, during his 2014 trip to Hawaii

They have traditionally rented a luxury villa in the upscale Kailua area on Oahu, the main island, and head out for hikes, rounds of golf and restaurant meals with their friends.

Tom Fitton, the head of the Judicial Watch pressure group, said Obama's holiday habit proves that he is out of touch - and has to stop.

He told AL.com: 'The Obamas' travel is out of control. They are treating the Air Force One like an Uber ride.

'And President Obama seems oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans with his continuous vacations, getaways, and political junkets at taxpayer expense.'

During the trips, the Obamas are accompanied by a substantial Secret Service detail, who costs thousands of dollars a day to accommodate in the idyllic vacation spot.

Local police also work overtime and an ambulance trails the Presidential party at all times in case of disaster - all of which will push the total further into the millions.

Although some expenses - including the rent - are paid for privately, the emergency personnel and daily expenses of Obama's security detail are all publicly-funded.

Exact figures for the trip - outside of Air Force One - are hard to obtain. According to a Watchdog.com report on the 2014 trip, there is also an Air Force cargo plane to bring Obama's helicopter and limo, which costs more than $150,000 to get to Hawaii and back.

A second plane brings a Marine Corps contingent at similar cost.

The Honolulu Police Department also spends in the region of $275,000 a year in overtime for its officers, while the ambulance from the local Emergency Management Services costs $15,890 to keep on call.

Happy golfer: President Obama generally spends his time on the golf course (pictured at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii) or working out at a local Marine Corps base

Secret Service agents - of whom there are said to be 'dozens' each year - are reportedly housed at a cost of around $200 per person per night, while material for other security measures would also be met from White House funds.

It is not yet clear precisely where the Obamas will stay, though they have traditionally favored somewhere near Kailua.

During their year-end trips to the Hawaiian islands the Obamas typically lounge around their rental home, venturing out only on occasion for shaved ice and dinner with their friends.

Since 2013, the Obama family have gone on scenic Christmas hikes, tried out snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and dined at the gourmet Alan Wong's Restaurant.

President Obama generally spends his time on the golf course or working out at a local Marine Corps base.

Vacations gone by: Obama shakes hands with the crowd gathered at the 18th green after playing a round at the Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii on December 29, 2008 a month-and-a-half after being elected president

He and the First Lady usually make a special trip to the base to to wish the troops stationed there a Merry Christmas and to thank them for their service.

On the island, it appears preparations are already under way for the presidents' arrival.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there are temporary flight restrictions in the area from December 19 to January 4.

An islander also told Honolulu TV station KHON2 he had seen Secret Service in the area and had been given a flyer about security in Kailua Bay.

The Hawaii trips are not the only examples of extravagance which have been seized on by critics.

In March it emerged that the White House dropped at least $1million flying the President and the First Lady to Los Angeles and back on two separate planes inside a single day so they could be on TV.

Barack Obama sat down with Jimmy Kimmel to appear on his NBC show, while Michelle grabbed the change to be interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres.

Despite the two shows being filmed just miles apart, the White House insisted the journeys were 'not in sync' so required separate planes.