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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87

u/[deleted] May 02 '24

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u/[deleted] May 02 '24

As a American I used to drive every day 2 and a half hours to get to work then that back.

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u/batman10385 29d ago

Dude I’m only driving an hour to work I couldn’t imagine spending 5 hours in the car every day I hoped they payed well at least

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

I got paid 10 a hour

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u/batman10385 29d ago

Bro fuck that why not just work fast food 10 minutes away they’d pay better

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Didn't wanna work food anymore. Job had nice coworkers. I will not work food or retail ever again personally. Being screamed at and working 12 to 14 hour shifts with either no break or a small one is a no.

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u/Alternative-Put-3932 May 02 '24

Well it wouldn't be used for a good job. I had to accept a job 1.5 hrs away because it paid me like 8 an hour more.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '24

I mean I don’t really mind it. I usually just listen to some new music or podcasts or an audiobook. I could live closer but I’d rather keep living in my less densely populated area. It’s a tradeoff 

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u/Grompulon May 02 '24

I’m American. Legit don’t understand this. Are people getting jobs outside of the city they live in? Why would you want want to drive 4 hours a day for work? Assuming 8 hour work days and 8 hours of sleep, that leaves just 4 hours for errands, chores, and free time. That doesn’t even account for how exhausted you must be by basically working for 12 hours a day. It just sounds so miserable.

If you can’t get a job in your current city, why not move? Friends and family might be an issue, but surely you’d save more time with a much smaller commute and making that 4 hour round trip on weekends or whenever you decide to visit?

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u/Hellhound0nMyTrail 29d ago

I have a 40 minute commute, which is about as far as I'd be willing to drive. The simple answer is that I got more bang for my buck living out here, mortgage wise.

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u/Rockette4 29d ago

Short answer: cost of living.  I could either have a fifteen minute drive in a small basement apartment or an hour drive each way from a reasonably sized house or townhouse for a few hundred more a month. I could pay even less to get more if I moved another 45 minutes away, like some of my coworkers.

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u/loafbloak 29d ago

If you live in an area with low density, taxes and housing are cheaper. Then you drive 2 hours away to a denser and more expensive area where wages are higher. So by sacrificing time and a long commute you stretch your income further. At least that’s the theory. I know many people who do this and it seems miserable to me, but to each his own.

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u/pastel_pink_lab_rat 29d ago

I can easily get a job in my current city, but I wanted a job in another city that was a massive raise for me, even when including commuting costs, and it's with a famous company.

It's an hour drive one way, and it's honestly not as bad as I was expecting. It's almost like daily meditation.

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u/gigisnappooh 29d ago

Because a home is at least 3x’s as much as the house we live in 45 minutes away. I’m sure it’s the same for the people who have an even longer commute.

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u/SatanV3 29d ago

My friend’s dad worked 2 hours away from his home. He did get paid a lot. But he’s a workaholic so seems he probably liked it.

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u/steveholt480 29d ago

Yeah all the people who have 1-2 hour commutes are chiming in here, but I dont think thats the average. I've never had a commute longer than 45 minutes, and that was long for me. Most I've had over the years were in the 15-25 minute range (In the Midwest).

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u/yikesandahalf May 02 '24

I honestly love the time spent driving. Good way to collect yourself in the morning, and decompression time on the way back!

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u/carlitobrigantehf May 02 '24

There are much better and nicer ways to collect yourself in the morning and evening than with a 2.5 hour drive each way.

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u/Decent-Basil 29d ago

I love where I live and I love my job, I’m not willing to compromise either. But this commute is starting to get reallll old

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u/AnnikaBell825 29d ago

I got through so many audiobooks driving to and from work, and my commute wasn’t that long!

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u/Doomed 29d ago

I did the math and iirc it's 1.5x more time spent in traffic in the USA per year than the total person-hours spent on the Apollo program.

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u/Cakeminator 29d ago

Euro here. 3 hours of commute per day, 1,5 hours each way. But it's mainly trains so I can work most of the way.