About Kev: A Story of one traveler’s growth and adventure

Hello All, Welcome To The About Kev Page

Hello! I am Kevin “Kev” Monteith. You can learn a little about Kev and Travels with Kev on this page.

My mission with Travels with Kev is to help you travel and get that sometimes hard-to-find information you need to be a better traveler. This page is designed to assist and support you.

This site is designed for individuals with limited experience with train travel or those who have never traveled by train. It is also for experienced travelers who want to learn about Amtrak train travel.

This site could be the answer if you’ve tried Amtrak forums and social media groups without success, or if you get discouraged. I had that experience in 2014 and still see some of the toxic “advice” being offered today.

Many people enjoy discussing and focusing on the present, viewing the past through rose-colored glasses, or pondering what Amtrak needs to do, despite not having ridden a train in the past five-plus years. I believe it’s possible to be honest without being overly pessimistic.

Since 2012, I have traveled on Amtrak and other commuter rails, covering over 200,000 miles on hundreds of trains. I hope my experience can be of help to you. My philosophy is to promote a positive outlook on travel, but I ground that in reality and set proper expectations.

A Quick Travel Bio About Kev

After high school, I worked full-time in the printing industry, which allowed me to buy a 1990 Oldsmobile Silhouette. This van marked the beginning of my first phase of travel.

In those days, most of my travel consisted of road trips around the upper Midwest, primarily in Wisconsin, but I also made a few trips to Canada during my early travel years. Does that make me an international traveler? I am claiming that.

In the mid-2000s, my travel ended, except for a few short trips, because I was laid off and decided to pursue higher education.

Things changed on May 25, 2012, which marked the start of my new travel adventures. That day, I took my first Amtrak train trip, 63 miles from the Sturtevant Depot to Chicago Union Station aboard the Mighty Hiawatha.

There were a few more trips that year, but it started the following year.

While I enjoyed the trips aboard the Hiawatha, I wanted something more. My wanderlust was calling me.

A friend told me about his trip to San Francisco, CA, the following winter, and that conversation piqued my interest. Part of my interest was San Francisco, but the other side was that I wanted to travel again.

In February 2013, I booked a trip aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr, and that first trip went well. I enjoyed the journey and fell in love with travel again. I also discovered that I love planning and researching trips.

Amtrak became my favorite type of transportation. Since my first trip, I have ridden more than 700 trains, racking up over 126,000 miles. Today, I still travel by train.

With those miles behind me, I learned a great deal about Amtrak, train travel, packing, and life. Instead of keeping all that to myself, I want to share that knowledge with you. I am still learning about travel because things are changing, and I want to stay up-to-date.

Besides being a traveler, blogger, and podcaster, my other loves include music and family.

Besides running Travels With Kev, I am an organist, electronic media creator, and coordinator for a small Episcopal Church. I also manage a few websites and social media accounts for various clients, including Radiant Life Health Solutions and County Line Mowing.

One of the most significant life changes I’ve experienced was becoming an uncle. My first run at that job was with my sister’s dog, Abby the Newfie, followed by Mackenzie, also known as Little Mack, and now two more have been added.

Sadly, on June 19, 2024, Abby was laid to rest; she lived a long and happy life, and I miss her.

About Kev’s Thoughts On Travel

Traveling is more than just the destination and the activities I do when I arrive; the journey is also important.

I love train travel because transportation is part of my trip, not just “how I get there.” There is something special about sitting back and watching the world go by my window. It is enjoyable. I look at train travel; it doesn’t take away from my travel time, but rather adds to the experience.

I have flown a few times to take a train trip. My favorite parts of the flying process are the takeoffs and landings, which many people hate. In fairness, I consider myself an intermodal traveler, meaning that on a trip, I am willing to take trains, planes, buses, boats, or whatever it takes to have a fun adventure.

As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite aspects of traveling is planning trips and researching destinations. I usually do this at home (or in a bar or coffee shop), but sometimes I do it while on an Adventure.

When I started, train travel was new to me. Finding quality information that satisfied my needs was not as easy as I wanted.

I found an Amtrak online forum to be a valuable source of information about traveling on Amtrak. This era was before Facebook groups. I did receive some helpful tips, but I also encountered trolls, people with unrealistic expectations, chronic complainers, and those pining for the yesteryear of travel who loved to dominate the conversations.

While everyone has the right to their opinion, some of those people’s words almost slowed my excitement and made my research unpleasant. I don’t want that for you; we, as travelers, can do better!

We Can Do Better!

I want to help you reach your travel goals and grow as a traveler, and I don’t want you to face the same challenges I did if I can avoid them.

There is enough negativity in this world, and you don’t need that to spoil your next adventure or discourage you from going.

I intend to keep this site encouraging and as troll-free as possible. Learning to travel is intimidating enough without all of that noise.

Putting this all together

After traveling thousands of miles on Amtrak and regional railroads, I have gained a few experiences compared to those by air.

Traveling taught me this lesson: if you view travel as an adventure and have the attitude of “what happens, happens,” you will get more out of your trip and experience less stress.

Like life, our journeys do not always yield the results we expect, but our attitudes ultimately determine the outcome. Besides, the best stories come from when things go wrong.

Some people have unrealistic expectations for themselves and their travel experiences, and are often disappointed with their trips. I don’t want that to happen to you if we can avoid it!

Let’s get to know each other!

If you are interested, here are the ways to reach me. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

How about Kev helping you take your travels to the next level?

If Travels with Kev has helped you, you can help me! You can tell me how I helped you, become a monthly supporter, or give a one-time gift. If you are interested in helping, check out the supporting Kev page.

Safe Travels!

Kev

Disclaimer:

I do not work for Amtrak, any other transportation carrier, or any other company mentioned on this site. The views and opinions expressed on this site are my own, not those of the companies or places I discuss.

Google AdSense randomly chooses the ads on this site, not Travels with Kev. Advertisements on this site do not imply that I endorse those companies, as I have no control over the ads you see.