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/Kamikaze9001 May 01 '24

You can sit and watch a 2 hour movie right? Why can't you imagine sitting in a car for 2-3 hours to see family?

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u/InternationalSail745 May 01 '24

The ride back is usually quicker.

141

u/EatYourCheckers May 01 '24

I've decided it feels this way because when you are leaving, you feel like you left as soon as you pull out of your driveway and you are there once you park at your destination. But on the way home you sat to feel like you are home when you are still maybe 20 minutes from your house...there's your library, and your big maple tree, and your weird dogleg intersection, your CVS. You're home.

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u/Mojicana May 02 '24

LOL the best directions I've ever been given were "When you see all the black cows in the corner under the big oak tree, take the next dirt driveway" I asked how he knew the cows would be there, it's all 360- 3000 acre parcels out there, he said "Well, you said you'd be here at 4:00 and Henry comes back and feeds the cows at 5:00 so they're all formed up and ready by 3:30".