When Barack Obama finished his eight years as US President on 20 January 2017, he opened a whole new chapter in his life.

As one of the most powerful men in the world, his day was meticulously planned down to the minute.

But after Donald Trump took over as President, Obama was left to figure out how to spend his time away from the White House.

His first port of call was a holiday away with the family, where he indulged in a spot of kite surfing with billionaire Sir Richard Branson.

But it wasn't long before he was back in the spotlight again, meeting foreign dignitaries and even finding time to turn up for jury duty.

Here we keep track of what America's 44th President has been doing to fill his time since leaving office.

Obama as President in 2015 (
Image:
AFP)

May 2018

May saw Barack and wife Michelle sign a multi-year deal with Netflix to make tv series and films for the online streaming service.

Obama said: "One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience.

"That's why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix - we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world."

Obama also slammed his successor's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

In a rare public criticism of Trump, the former President said: "I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake."

He added: "The consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America's credibility, and puts us at odds with the world's major powers."

April 2018

Barack and Michelle greet Melania Trump at the funeral of Barbara Bush (
Image:
REUTERS)

Barack and Michelle attended the funeral of former First Lady Barbara Bush, the wife of President George H W Bush, in April.

The pair met Donald Trump's wife Melania at the event, but the current US president did not attend "to avoid disruptions due to added security".

March 2018

Obama showed his support for the March For Life, as hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to call for gun law reform.

He tweeted: "Michelle and I are so inspired by all the young people who made today’s marches happen. Keep at it. You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change."

The protests came after 17 children were massacred at a school shooting in Florida.

February 2018

Video Loading

Obama and wife Michelle unveiled their official Presidential portraits in February at the US National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.

It is traditional for presidents to commission an oil painting once their term in office has finished

Obama’s portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley, while Michelle's was by Amy Sherald.

Barack unveils his portrait (
Image:
AFP)

An investigation was also launched after a 'white substance' was sent to Obama's Washington office.

Emergency Services said the letter was mailed from Hong Kong, and was understood to have contained baby powder. The building was not evacuated.

January 2018

Video Loading

In January, Obama took a swipe at social media during an interview with American talk-show host David Letterman .

He had some harsh words for information sharing, despite admitting that much of his success in the 2008 election came from social media.

He spoke about social networks becoming like a "bubble" where people are only subjected to the views they believe in. Obama suggested that's part of what is making American politics so polarised.

His successor Donald Trump has famously sparked furious debate with his often inflammatory statements on Twitter.

December 2017

Video Loading

In his first interview since the end of his term as the 44th president, Obama was interviewed by Prince Harry for a BBC Radio 4 special.

He warned about the dangers of the internet in becoming an echo chamber where "people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases."

He also said that being out of office has freed him to work on longer term projects.

"I am able to focus on what I think are long-term problems in a way I couldn't always do," he said.

Video Loading

He also took a turn playing Father Christmas to dole out gifts to delighted youngsters at the Boys and Girls Club in Washington.

Obama wore a Santa hat, but opted for a leather jacket rather than the big red suit when he stunned around 50 students.

Sharing his visit on Twitter, he said: "There's no better time than the holiday season to reach out and give back to our communities."

(
Image:
Barack Obama / Twitter)

Obama also managed to squeeze in a three-nation tour to China, India and France.

In India, he hosted an event for his Obama Foundation, and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

November 2017

Video Loading

In November Obama was called for jury service in Chicago, court prompting a major security operation.

He was called to serve at the Richard J. Daley Centre and said he would fulfill his civic duty.

His arrival prompted streets to be cleared, filled instead with Secret Service agents and a media army.

Obama sat with his fellow citizens and signed a few autographs before the hearing began.

Ultimately, he was not among those selected for the final jury panel.

Obama earned the £13-a-day fee that is given to all jurors for their service (
Image:
Getty Images North America)

He also hosted the first Obama Summit in Chicago - an event aiming to inspire future leaders.

Hundreds of leaders from city, the US and around the world joined the former President and Prince Harry to share ideas about creating lasting change in the world.

October 2017

From left to right, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at the event (
Image:
REUTERS)

In October, Obama joined the other four living former-US presidents at a concert to raise money for hurricane victims across America and the Caribbean.

He joined George W Bush, Bill Clinton George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter at the One America Appeal concert at the Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.

Current president Trump did not attend the event, but sent a video message in which he congratulated his predecessors for spearheading the relief effort.

White House did not respond to questions over whether he had been invited

Obama said: "As former presidents we want to help our fellow Americans begin to recover."

September 2017

Obama and Harry at the wheelchair basketball event (
Image:
REX/Shutterstock)

September saw Obama join Prince Harry for the royal's Invictus Games for injured military veterans.

The pair had front-row seats for a wheelchair basketball match between America and France.

An onlooker said: "They looked like the best of pals. They were having a great time."

Obama and Harry pose with Team USA (
Image:
REX/Shutterstock)

It also emerged that Obama gave Harry a grilling about his relationship with Meghan Markle .

The ex-President couldn’t resist a few questions as he and the royal sat together at the event in Toronto.

Student Hayley Stover, who ended up sitting on the prince’s other side, told the Sunday People: “He asked if she was enjoying the Games and Harry was really smiling as he said yes. He looked so happy."

Harry and Meghan went on to announce their engagement in November.

It is not yet known if Obama will be a guest at the wedding.

Obama goes back to school (
Image:
complex/Instagram)

Earlier in the month, high school students were left stunned after Obama gatecrashed their first day back at school.

He dropped in to lessons at McKinley Tech in Washington as they were still settling in to their new classes.

He told them: "One of the things I did throughout my presidency was I’d meet with groups of young people everywhere I went, whether it was here in the United States or when I was travelling overseas.

"Just to kind of hear from them, find out what they’re interested in, because I do believe that most of the problems we have are going to be solved by you."

Former President paid a surprise visit to a Washington school (
Image:
barackobama/Instagram)

September also saw Obama present plans for the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which is set to be built in Chicago's Jackson Park.

The building will feature his presidential library and museum, containing papers and artifacts from his time as US leader. It is also set to be the HQ for the Obama Foundation.

August 2017

Video Loading

In August, Barack and Michelle said goodbye to their eldest daughter, Malia, as they dropped her off at her dorm at Harvard University .

The 19-year-old was allowed to move into her college accommodation a day early so her arrival created as little fuss as possible.

Despite being flanked by the US Secret Service in their two SUV convoy, the Obamas proved they were just like any other parents as the visibly emotional couple left their daughter in her new home.

Obama also tweeted a response to a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

At the rally, a car driven by a right-wing extremist ploughed through a crowd of anti-fascist protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, a paralegal and activist.

The message included a powerful quote by Nelson Mandela, and became the most-liked tweet in history with 3.8 million likes.

Mr Obama's series of three tweets read: "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion.

"People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

The first tweet amassed more than 1.5 million retweets, while Obama's follow-up second and third posts garnered more than 300,000 retweets each.

Obama's tweet came shortly after Donald Trump's press conference in which the current US President failed to explicitly denounce white supremacists, instead saying: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides."

June 2017

Obama, Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia brave the rapids (
Image:
REUTERS)

The former POTUS took a family holiday to Indonesia in June, enjoying a spot of white-water rafting, and stayed at the luxury Four Seasons Resort on the island of Bali.

CNN Indonesia reported that Central Java police deployed 700 officers to secure his visit to Borobudur, a Buddhist temple dating from the 8th and 9th centuries.

Obama had lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for four years as a child with his mother and step-father before moving back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents.

Obama visited Jatiluwih rice terrace - an UNESCO World Heritage site (
Image:
EPA)

Obama also found time to swing by Canada for a chat with Canadian President Justin Trudeau.

The ex-POTUS' foundation tweeted a picture of the pair sitting down for dinner and discussing plans to develop 'the next generation of leaders'.

May 2017

Obama given a bottle of Irn Bru (
Image:
PA)

May saw Obama make his first visit to Scotland to give a speech in front of politicians and business leaders at a charity dinner.

But locals were left furious after a photograph emerged of him being handed a bottle of Irn Bru.

Scots were livid that someone had thought to give him the sugar-free version of the country's most popular soda.

While he was in the UK, he found time to swing by Kensington Palace for a chat with Prince Harry...

Video Loading

In a more political turn, he also endorsed centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election.

The former US president said he admired Macron's campaign for standing up for "liberal values."

Macron went on to win the election against far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

April 2017

Video Loading

After three months out of the spotlight, April saw Obama made his first public appearance since leaving office .

He made no mention of Donald Trump's controversial first few months in office, but quipped: “What’s been going on since I’ve been gone?”

He moderated an event at the University of Chicago in the city where he began his political career and which will be the site of his presidential library.

March 2017

Trump made accusations in a series of tweets (
Image:
Getty)

Despite taking time away from the political spotlight, in March Obama was forced to respond to claims from his successor Donald Trump that he had ordered the wiretapping of Trump during the late stages of the election campaign.

Trump made the accusation in a series of tweets, without citing evidence, just weeks into his administration and amid rising scrutiny of his campaign's ties to Russia.

Obama's spokesman said: "Neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen.

"Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

February 2017

Video Loading

After eight years in the White House, a holiday was definitely on the cards.

And as he wasn't the leader of the free world any more, he could afford to take a few risks with his health.

So billionaire pal Sir Richard Branson challenged him to a kite-surfing chalenge.

The former POTUS spent two days learning the basics of how to fly a kite on dry land before his was finally allowed to graduate to the water.

Despite numerous security guards circling around, Obama was able to "relax and get into it," according to Branson.

The former POTUS quickly picked up the basics (
Image:
Jack Brockway/Virgin.com)

Speaking on his blog, Sir Richard wrote: "It was a huge honour to be able to invite President Barack and Michelle Obama down to the British Virgin Islands for a complete break after Barack finished his second term as President and the family left the White House."

It was also revealed that Obama and wife Michelle were poised to make at least $60million (£49million) from a book deal.

The pair signed over rights for two books to publishing company Penguin Random House.

Both will publish separate books, but have jointly sold the rights, the firm said.

January 2017

Obama hands things over to Trump at the 45th President's inauguration (
Image:
Sky News)

After handing over the Presidential reins to Donald Trump, Obama and his family flew to Palm Springs for a long weekend before heading to the British Virgin Islands.

Barack and wife Michelle were spotted enjoying lunch with Sir Richard Branson and his family on the island of Anegada.

Billionaire Branson - who has been outspoken in his views on Trump - owns nearby islands Necker and Moskito.

The Obamas reportedly arrived in the Virgin Islands on Branson's private jet, and were soon seen soaking up the sun.

But Obama wasn't away from politics for long after the inauguration.

Less than two weeks after he was sworn in, protests erupted across the country after Trump tried to ban people from seven majority Muslim countries from entering the United States.

Obama released a statement welcoming the protests , which he said is "exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake."

The statement said he "fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion."