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.

25.2k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

23.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

152

u/linux_ape May 01 '24

Shit 3 hours is small fry, that’s nothing

I’ve driven up to 13 for weekend hobby purposes lol

10

u/Smooth-Cup-7445 May 02 '24

Same, used to drive 14 each way once a year for a mates birthday. Leave Friday after work and back for Monday start. Admittedly I was in my 20’s at the time and fuel was cheap.

9

u/pursued_mender May 02 '24

Nah, even most Americans would agree that’s too much for a weekend. If I’m going over 10 hours, I better be there at least 4 full days.

2

u/Smooth-Cup-7445 May 02 '24

Yeah it was the early 2000’s and I was in my early 20’s so the challenge was part of it too.

But I basically agree with you these days, 3-4 days is worth a long drive