On Friday at noon, Barack Obama will no longer be president of the United States. Donald J Trump will become the nation’s 45th president and the Obama and his family will begin their transition back into civilian life.

Much like his swearing-in on 20 January 2009, the schedule on Obama’s final day in office is largely preordained by a number of traditions. Obama and his family will wake up in the White House for the final time and around 8.30am will bid farewell to the small army of White House staffers.

An hour later, Obama and Trump will be joined by Vice-President Joe Biden, his successor Mike Pence and their spouses for a cup of coffee or tea in the White House’s regal Blue Room. The Obamas and Bidens were hosted there by former president George W Bush and his wife Laura in 2009.

At some point in the morning, Obama will probably leave a letter for Trump in the Oval Office. Bush’s letter to Obama was addressed, “To #44, from #43.” George Bush Sr’s wished Bill Clinton well, and it went viral during last year’s election campaign. “Your success now is our country’s success,” Bush wrote. “I am rooting hard for you.” Ronald Reagan simply told his former vice-president Bush: “Don’t let the turkeys get you down.”

By 10.30am Michelle Obama and Melania Trump will join the outgoing and incoming presidents in a presidential limousine to drive to the Capitol. This may be Obama’s last journey in a full motorcade and after this he will have to get used to stopping at traffic lights and intersections again.

In accordance with the 20th amendment of the US constitution, at midday local time, Obama will officially no longer be president and Trump will be sworn in by the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts Jr, at the West Front of the US Capitol.

After the ceremony, the Obamas will board a helicopter and fly to Andrews air force base, where they will board the plane they have used for the past eight years, which will not at this point be referred to as Air Force One, as that is reserved for the president. The Obamas will fly to Palm Springs, California, in the Coachella Valley where they have stayed in the past. According to CNN, the family has rented the Rancho Mirage home of Michael Smith, who decorated the Oval Office and the White House private residence.

Before taking off, however, there will be a send-off at Andrews air force base where Obama will probably give a short speech to a few invited supporters and former staffers.

After Palm Springs, the family will settle down in Washington DC for at least the next two years while their daughter Sasha finishes high school. They have secured a lease on an 8,200 sq ft, nine bedroom, mansion in the DC neighborhood of Kalorama, where they will be neighbors with Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and Amazon and Washington Post boss Jeff Bezos.



During his final press conference on Wednesday, Obama said in the remainder of 2017 he would like to spend time with his wife, as it is their 25th anniversary, and spend some time writing. Obama’s memoir is highly anticipated, as the Wall Street Journal reported that publishers are willing to pay $15m for the rights.



He has also emphasized that he would like to spend his time as a private citizen working on developing young leaders within the Democratic party.

Money won’t be an issue for the soon to be former president, as he will be entitled to a $203,700 annual pension for the remainder of his life, as well as $96,000 a year to maintain an office. His family will also have a secret service detail for life.



Obama’s presidential library, the Barack Obama Presidential Center, will be housed at the University of Chicago in the city’s South Side.