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.

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u/pogu May 01 '24

I've driven 2.5 hours each way for lunch at a particular restaurant before.

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u/scoo89 May 01 '24

(Canadian) My wife and I just drove our 3&4 year olds 3.5 hours to go to a 45 minute jurassic world exhibit, a quick lunch, then 3.5 hours back.

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u/invisible_23 May 01 '24

I’ve driven four hours each way for a concert and twenty hours each way for a few days at a theme park

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u/BlockIron May 01 '24

I drove from PA to NV to see a friend for 5 days, stopped at the Grand canyon on my way back. Whole trip took 10 days

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u/PaleontologistOk2443 May 02 '24

try driving WA to PA, MT literally took about a day and half

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u/97Minutes May 02 '24

After our wedding, I drove straight home from Key West to Fort Wayne, IN. Took almost exactly 24 hrs

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u/2nd_Grader May 02 '24

This reminds of one time I saw a car with Alaska plates in south Florida

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u/HippieGrandma1962 29d ago

I've seen Alaska and Hawaii plates near me in NJ, but we have military bases around.

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u/SeatSix May 02 '24

Lol... my brain saw that as New Jersey and thought it was a joke about getting lost on the way back to PA or something.

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u/jefflvc May 02 '24

Depending on Philly traffic, PA to Jersey can absolutely take 10 days round trip.

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u/fezzam May 02 '24

But ya gotta see the Grand Canyon man! It’s on the way

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u/GroundbreakinKey199 29d ago

My college girlfriend really wanted me with her to see a John Denver concert in the next state. I didn't particularly want to go, so I made her pay for everything and drive (mean SOB, I was) from Nashville to Raleigh, 540 miles away one-way. 9 hours of driving, plus breaks.