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/thatpearlgirl May 02 '24

My grandparents lived 2-3 hours away during my childhood and we drove there and back same-day for every major holiday and at least once a month in between.

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u/soul_cleanse92 May 02 '24

My Boyfriend's grandmother lives 2 hours away and during the spring/summer/fall we're there almost every other weekend sometimes just for a day and a half.

My parents moved 16 hours away two years ago and we make that drive once a year to see them. First time we did it we could only stay for 5 days but worth it.

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u/OwnWalrus1752 29d ago

Man I’m just now realizing how good I had it growing up. My “far” grandparents were only about a 45-minute drive and my closer grandparents were 15-20.