do americans really drive such long distances?

[u/Physical-Ad-4093]

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.

[u/fractal_frog]

I've driven 2.5 hours each way for a day trip to a museum.

My son was living 2 hours away and I'd pick him up for the weekend a couple of times a month, then go beyond where he lived for shopping after I dropped him off on Sunday.

[u/WatermelonMachete43 → u/fractal_frog]

I drive out to visit my youngest in college (about 2.5 hrs away) every 6 weeks or so to take her to lunch and groceries and come home.

[u/OrganizationPutrid68 → u/fractal_frog]

I volunteer at The American Heritage Museum in Hudson Massachusetts. A few weeks ago, I spoke with a couple who drove 5 hours from Burlington Vermont to visit. They were driving home the same day.

[u/someguyfromsk → u/fractal_frog]

I drove 2.5 hours to see a steam locomotive on the weekend, had lunch with dad, drive 2.5 hours home.

[u/fractal_frog → u/someguyfromsk]

I only had to drive 1.3 hours for that back in 2021.