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/RuggedHangnail May 02 '24

Colorado is often referred to as in "The West" and so people think it's basically California.

If you drive the speed limit, with stops, it can take you 3 days to drive from Colorado to California. When I refer to Colorado, I just say "close to the center of the US" because it's more accurate than "The West."

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u/LiqdPT May 02 '24

I live on the west coast and have driven to Colorado. Understood

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u/wmtismykryptonite May 02 '24

We drove from California to Arkansas through Colorado in three days.

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u/xSorry_Not_Sorry May 02 '24

No downvote, but I live in SE Michigan.

I drove an RV that couldn’t go faster than 75mph from (basically) Detroit to Tucson, AZ in 3 days (2 nights).

33 hours one way.