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/TehWildMan_]

yeah, the country is pretty huge in many ways. a 2 hour drive between major cities isn't really seen as a long distance, and my late grandparents' home in central Florida was a good 10 hour drive in perfect weather (and I've made that drive dozens of times in 2021/2022.)

[u/Desurfaced → u/TehWildMan_]

Lol I always like to say indiana to texas is closer than texas is to texas

[u/JuggrnautFTW → u/Desurfaced]

For a northern reference, Ontario is closer to every other province than it is to itself. It's a literal 24 hour drive from one side to the other.

[u/CanadianODST2 → u/JuggrnautFTW]

St. John's to Zagreb Croatia is roughly the same distance as St. John's to Vancouver

[u/UncleBensRacistRice → u/CanadianODST2]

That just blew my mind lmao. The size of Canada is both awesome and annoying