Obamas to travel to Hawaii next Friday

President Obama and his family will depart for their annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii next Friday evening, press secretary Jay Carney said.

{mosads}The White House did not disclose the length of the president’s trip, although the first family is expected to remain in Obama’s home state through the new year.

It should be a more restful vacation for the president than last year.

Obama spent six days in Hawaii in December 2012 before returning to Washington on Dec. 27 as lawmakers continued to debate the “fiscal cliff.” Those negotiations took six days, keeping Obama away from his family for New Year’s Eve.

“I think Hawaii for him is a place where he gets to recharge both physically and emotionally. The schedule is one that’s relaxing. The climate is warm like he likes it. And he’s surrounded constantly by family and the friends he grew up with,” Robert Gibbs, Obama’s former press secretary and a longtime adviser, told The Washington Post. “It’s the perfect elixir for having had a long and busy year in national politics.”

The Obamas regularly take two vacations a year — the holiday trip to Hawaii and a summer vacation to Martha’s Vineyard.