Most people associate Thanksgiving travel with stressful journeys to the airport or long, tiresome car rides. And part of that may be related to the family component. By making your Thanksgiving travel more a vacation, however, you can make the long weekend more fun and stress-free.

Even though Thanksgiving is the beginning of peak holiday travel season, you can still find cheap flights to some of your dream destinations during this time of year. Whether you're looking for a cozy small town to celebrate the holiday or an island getaway to forget about it entirely, there are plenty of options for Thanksgiving travel.

Keep reading for the 15 best places to go for Thanksgiving if you don't want to stay home.

Words by Madeline Diamond at Insider

[Photo via @taramilktea]