lystn

Meghan O'Dea is a Lonely Planet editor who inherited a love of travel from her fearless and adventurous grandmother, Florence – a devoted train traveler who befriended strangers everywhere she went. One of Florence's bucket-list goals was to travel by train with each grandchild, so at age 10, Meghan was treated to a special one-on-one, long-distance journey across the US. On today's episode, Megan shares memories from that ten-day trip with Florence, during which they stopped in New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and ultimately Buffalo for a family reunion – enjoying moments of "madcap whimsy" along the way. As a travel writer and editor, Meghan has since completed her grandmother’s goal to visit all 50 states. Later in the episode, she offers listeners recommendations for solo travel, and explains why she still prefers hostels to hotels.