Still in mourning after the death of his eldest son, Vice President Joe Biden is foregoing his usual Nantucket family Thanksgiving to travel abroad.

Joe and Jill Biden will embark on a trip to Europe for official meetings in Croatia and Italy, hoping for a change of scenery over Thanksgiving. The vice president and his wife will return to Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

Biden is also staying involved in the 2016 campaign, even though he decided not to run for the Democratic nomination himself. The vice president met Tuesday with former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, an underdog presidential candidate, at the Naval Observatory.

Both O'Malley's campaign and the vice president's office have confirmed the meeting.

Biden previously met with Hillary Clinton's main challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, to talk campaign strategy.