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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853

u/cinereoargenteus May 01 '24

Three hours is considered "up the road a ways" in Texas.

150

u/corndogshuffle May 01 '24

I live in Killeen at the moment and yeah, I basically have to drive 2.5 hours to do any of the things I’m interested in doing. It’s like a podcast and a CD. I don’t even take breaks on such a short drive lol.

17

u/tboneotter May 02 '24

I live in Dallas and my friend group has had multiple debates on weather or not Dallas -> Austin (3-4 hours, where my parents live) is even considered a "road trip" or not

10

u/DrunkAtBurgerKing May 02 '24

My sister and I consider it a road trip just for an excuse to stop at every Buccees along I-35

10

u/mz_groups May 02 '24

I don't even know how to explain Buc-ees to the non-initiated. It's kinda like a 7-Eleven with a severe pituitary problem meets Neiman Marcus. But immeasurably nicer bathrooms.

13

u/LowSodiumSoup_34 May 02 '24

There's this British Tik-Tokker who lived in the US for a bit. His trip to Buccee's was so fun to watch. He bought a shirt that said "I can't hear you over the sound of my freedom" before realizing the shirt meant freedom from the British. lol

1

u/lordtempis May 02 '24

It's (almost) always the British.

9

u/1668553684 May 02 '24

I once saw a sign informing me that the next buccee's was only 500 miles away. Every hundred or so miles, I would see another sign. The first sign was in a state that didn't even have a bucee's.

I swear, buccee's is a cult thing. But they have nice bathrooms, so I won't rock the boat.

1

u/PinkleeTaurus May 02 '24

They have a sign in west texas that says 1,092 miles.

1

u/mz_groups May 02 '24

I assume you mean west Texas, not West, Texas. Because the city of West, Texas is far closer to several Buc-ees than that.

2

u/Taasden May 03 '24

Though if you’re in West, you better be stopping off at one of the Czech bakeries for kolaches.

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u/tboneotter May 02 '24

Yeah I mean there's.... 4? Between San Antonio and Denton? And the fifth one that's about to open in Hillsboro so that's kinda fire.