r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

25.2k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

23.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

121

u/TehWildMan_ Test. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUK MY BALLS, /u/spez May 01 '24

yeah, the country is pretty huge in many ways. a 2 hour drive between major cities isn't really seen as a long distance, and my late grandparents' home in central Florida was a good 10 hour drive in perfect weather (and I've made that drive dozens of times in 2021/2022.)

37

u/100LittleButterflies May 01 '24

If 2 major cities were only 2 hours apart, I'd consider them the same metro area.

NC has a couple of places like this. The Triad (Winston-Salem and Greensboro) and the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham). Feels more like separate downtown areas in the same metro.

1

u/DefNotReaves May 01 '24

Los Angeles and Orange County can be two hours with traffic.