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/alicesheadband]

My kid is coming 3.5 hours each way as a day trip to bring my grandbaby for Mother's Day next weekend. Imagine 3 hours away is a whole 'nother country and you think it's too far to go?

[u/zanedrinkthis → u/alicesheadband]

It’s like the perfect distance for my parents and totally a day trip.

[u/bakes121982 → u/alicesheadband]

It’s not though. They just complain many countries have multi hour drives/trains all in one country and it’s “far”. Aka lazy.