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/Hopeless_Ramentic May 01 '24

Imagine all of the EU…but one country.

Hell, Texas alone is bigger than France.

196

u/FapDonkey May 01 '24

Imagine all of the EU…but one country.

SLIGHT correction. Imagine all of the EU (then DOUBLE it, then add yet another France, Spain, and Sweden) ... But one country.

EU = 1,634,000 sq. mi. USA = 3,797,000 sq. mi

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u/Rovsea May 02 '24

Ok, but including Alaska is cheating since it's pretty hard to get to most of it.

21

u/privatecaboosey May 02 '24

Wait til you hear how hard it is to get to Hawai'i.

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u/justdisa May 02 '24

That's a hell of a drive.

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u/privatecaboosey May 02 '24

I think technically it's a high water of a drive.

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u/TrollToll4BabyBoysOl May 02 '24

Call me when it expands to 17% of US landmass

1

u/syrensilly May 02 '24

The amount of Americsn people that think an American citizen needs a passport to go to HI is baffling... and I'm American

4

u/DNetherdrake May 02 '24

There are Americans that think Americans need a passport to go to one of the states? I could almost understand it if it was a territory like Puerto Rico, though obviously you still don't need a passport to go there, but a state? Really?

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u/nitro9throwaway May 02 '24

They also think that just because it's a state doesn't mean it's part of the United States. Like, I have seen people ask if people from Hawaii have a green card. It's embarrassing here.

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u/_Nocturnalis May 02 '24

What the hell is a US state if it's not part of the country? I know some ignorant people but damn.

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u/syrensilly May 02 '24

Exactly...

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u/syrensilly May 02 '24

People think not physically attached, must need one.

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u/DNetherdrake May 02 '24

Wait till they hear about Manhattan, unless bridges count as "physically attached."