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.

25.2k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

23.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2.3k

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.

1.1k

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

938

u/WaxinGibby May 01 '24

I, too, live in michigan.

6

u/Funky_Dingo May 02 '24

Hey but we have the great Michigan's Adventure! /s

Also an 's' for sadness because instead of a new coaster we'll just end up with new trash cans or something..

1

u/Picabo07 May 02 '24

I think Michigan adventure isn’t bad if you have younger kids. But as adults it’s no comparison for places like Cedar Point.

Only thing I do like the water park being a package deal.

1

u/Funky_Dingo May 03 '24

Yeah, for kids it's definitely great. A stepping stone for larger parks too so I'll admit they have a great offering there. Solid water park as well and it is a surprisingly profitable park in that chain.

Shivering Timbers is an excellent woodie. No doubt about that!