Here’s a thought: you don’t have to spend Thanksgiving at home. Chances are, much of the family will need to travel to meet up anyway. So why not try somewhere new? The best places to visit for Thanksgiving don’t even have to be in the US. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate like they are!
According to KAYAK data, year on year domestic Thanksgiving airfares have dropped by 7%, while international fares are up 4%. Hotel demand is up with domestic hotel prices up 7%. International hotel prices have plummeted though, down 19% year on year.
All this means Thanksgiving is actually a great time to travel, despite how busy it can get. It’s already a long weekend and so is an easy way to maximize holiday time. It means no one has to spend the day slaving at the stove cooking the family feast. And it works just as well if you’re solo, looking for romance or with the entire multigenerational family. Happy holidays.
- Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families
- The best all-inclusive resorts for Thanksgiving
- Warm weather Thanksgiving vacations
- The best beach vacations for Thanksgiving
- The best things to do alone on Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving FAQs
Thanksgiving vacation ideas for families
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Learn more: Philadelphia travel guide
Holiday trivia: Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the oldest in the US. Started in 1920, it also strives to be the “most band friendly.” That means 19 bands featuring 90-plus members will march and play their way along the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Expect lots of music, performances, giant floats and balloons, and appearances from celebrities you haven’t heard of. After the parade, make for LOVE Park to continue the festivities at the just-opened Christmas Village.
As family-friendly as it gets, let the kids loose to explore the vintage theme park and alleys of wooden stalls. Adults can warm up with mulled wine and bratwurst for a less traditional, German-themed Thanksgiving. And remember: this is Philly in November, so dress warm.
Long Beach, California
Learn more: Long Beach travel guide
If a freezing family isn’t the kind of festive feeling you’re after, head west. En route, pick up some costumes for the family so you can all participate in the Long Beach Turkey Trot.
Usually held the Sunday before Thanksgiving, there’s a one-mile children’s race and six-mile adult race. Both are great fun, with plenty of people dressing up for good causes. It’s also a great excuse to then overindulge in the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast.
Spend the rest of the week enjoying city and coastal attractions. In particular, don’t miss a whale watching tour. It’s peak time for the Gray Whale migration, so you can see them up close.
The best all-inclusive resorts for Thanksgiving
Sagamore Resort, Adirondacks, New York
To take the effort out of celebrating, my pick for the best all-inclusive resort for Thanksgiving is Sagamore Resort. This 139-year-old Grand Dame is unadulterated Americana.
In November, its forested environment is a panoply of fall colors. Lake George shimmers below pink-hued skies and the hotel is aglow with cozy fires and holiday cheer. Its four-day Thanksgiving schedule testifies as much.
Nightly bonfires with s’mores and live music. Decadent spreads in the ballroom for Thanksgiving meals. Giant screenings of the Macy’s Day Parade, major football games and family movie marathons. Christmas tree lighting and horseback riding. Thanksgiving, served up on a silver platter.
Eden Roc Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
Willing to brave holiday season travel? Eden Roc Cap Cana is just a short hop from the mainland to an island paradise Thanksgiving. And boy, do they take their holidays here seriously.
The five-day program bleeds every drop out of Thanksgiving, while making the most of the resort’s epic location. Dress up as, search for, learn to cook, and of course eat, all the turkey you can handle. Burn off the calories with beachside family fitness and sunset yoga. Align the senses with meditation and spa sessions.
Or just retreat to the beach with a cocktail and a good book and let the whole thing wash over you.
Warm weather Thanksgiving vacations
Nassau, The Bahamas
Learn more: Nassau travel guide
Just because it’s late November, doesn’t mean you have to spend Thanksgiving freezing your celebrations off. There are plenty of warm places to visit and indulge your holiday spirit. Close enough for a quick trip, hot enough for a decent tan, the Bahamas is a great bet.
While it doesn’t officially celebrate Thanksgiving, there are still plenty of celebrations to be had. Swap the traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade for an equally colorful neighborhood Junkanoo. For absolute luxury and a healthy dose of commercialism, Baha Mar in Nassau is your go to. Stay at the SLS, have Thanksgiving dinner at the Rosewood and take the kids to the Grand Hyatt.
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Learn more: Montego Bay travel guide
Montego Bay has two sides. There’s the city itself: a frantic slice of Jamaican life brimming with attitude and action. Then there’s the glossy tourist paradise: five-star resorts dotted along the coastline away from the mania of the city. There is, however, only one temperature: hot.
It’s always hot in the city. Nowhere more so than Hip Strip, where cruise ship passengers mix with locals in beachfront bars like the infamous Margaritaville. Thanksgiving Day is, as you might expect, busy.
For something altogether more chill, head to one of the plush resorts around Ironshore to the north. Or take a short hop along the coast to Louca Bay and the newly refurbished Grand Palladium.
The best beach vacations for Thanksgiving
Punta Mita, Mexico
If you’re going to make a beach the center of your Thanksgiving getaway, you may as well pick a beauty. Spread across 1,500 acres of a tiny peninsula half way down Mexico’s west coast, Punta Mita fits the bill.
Previously an idyll that shared its sleepy pueblo, golf courses and beaches with a Four Seasons and a St. Regis. This year sees the Susurros del Corazón open to make it a triumvirate of luxury. Head there for adventure and romance with surf safaris and candlelit meals on the beach. Or splurge with the whole family on a beachfront casa and make it one to remember.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Inject a dose of Pura Vida into your Thanksgiving on the beaches of northwest Costa Rica. The biodiverse region of Guanacaste is famed for its ethereal black sand beaches.
Playa Negra and Playa Carbon, not far from the buzzing town of Tamarindo, are particularly magical. Tropical jungle backdrops, big rolling waves and hundreds of colorful bird species.A couple of hours south the beaches begin to lighten but are no less impressive. Stop off at Ostional Wildlife Refuge to see arribadas (mass nestings) of Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Pacific Green sea turtles.
Continue south and book a room at the laid back Harmony Hotel set a few steps down sandy tracks to peaceful Playa Guiones. Laze, surf and horseback ride yourself into a state of total relaxation.
The best things to do alone on Thanksgiving
Discover Iceland
Want to escape Thanksgiving completely? Iceland is about as far away from roast turkey and street parades as you can get without leaving the planet. Remote wildernesses, wild beaches, towering waterfalls and the slow drift of ice everywhere.
It’s almost like Iceland was designed with solo travel in mind. It’s compact enough to explore on a one-person road trip yet it’s tailor made for organized experiences. Base yourself in Reykjavik and pick your adventure – after all, you’ve no one to please!
Feel the heat of bubbling lava on a visit to an active volcano. Ride dog sleighs over ice tracks to explore airplane carcasses. Dive crystal waters between tectonic plates. And let the memories cultivate as you soak in luminous blue thermal waters. The perfect way to give thanks (to yourself).
Take a fine wine tour across Arizona
Thanksgiving is steeped in tradition. One of the best things about spending it alone is that you can create your own, new traditions. If you like your wine, joining a wine tour is a lovely way to spend a day or three. Luckily, the US has plenty to choose from.
On the west coast, Napa Valley and Sonoma County are your obvious go-tos. It’s easy to pass time in its rolling vine-laden landscape, sipping and tasting, eating and relaxing. My pick is Arizona, however. Get your wine trail passport with tours of Willcox and Sonoita, or in the Verde Valley to the north.
Thanksgiving FAQs
There is no magic formula for when to book to get the best deals on flights and hotels for Thanksgiving. Based on data from KAYAK, most people traveling domestically in the US will do so the day before Thanksgiving – November 22, 2023. The cheapest day before Thanksgiving to travel domestically will be November 20th, with an average airfare of $448.
If you’re traveling internationally, the busiest day for travel will be November 18th. The cheapest day to travel, however, will be the 21st, with average airfares of $923. If you’re in doubt, try the KAYAK Best Time To Travel tool to help find a great price based on your destination and travel dates.
Prepare ahead of time. If you’re going to travel, don’t pack too much. Keep your celebrations authentic to the place you visit rather than bringing them home with you. If you’re cooking a big family dinner while abroad, make sure you can get all the ingredients you’ll need there. Otherwise (if it’s viable) you can take them with you.
Methodology: KAYAK considered flight, hotel and rental car searches between 2/10/2023 – 8/9/2023 for travel between 11/17/2023 – 11/26/2023. For year over year comparative data, searches between 2/11/2022 – 8/10/2022 and travel between 11/18/2023 – 11/27/2022 were considered. Prices are on average, are in USD and are subject to change.
