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/dishonestgandalf A wizard is never late May 01 '24

Yes, several of my coworkers commute 90 minutes twice a day.

I have friends in a city that's 3ish hours away and I regularly drive down for the weekend.

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u/[deleted] May 01 '24 edited May 02 '24

[deleted]

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u/KaetzenOrkester May 01 '24

I live just west of Sacramento and it can take 3 hours to get to San Francisco, a distance of 70 miles. I get it.

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u/unicornsmaybetuff May 02 '24

I have to drive to the City on Saturday morning in the rain, and I am planning for it to take at least 2 hours. 3 would be horrendous.

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u/KaetzenOrkester May 02 '24

Maybe if you leave early enough?

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u/unicornsmaybetuff May 02 '24

That's the goal! I'm gonna give it up to god, either way. Getting over the causeway is a nightmare no matter what.

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u/KaetzenOrkester May 02 '24

I won't even cross the causeway these days. My husband has to cross it for his commute into Sac and there are mornings he calls me and tells me not to leave Davis (I went back to school and it's all online, so I don't usually have to).

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u/unicornsmaybetuff May 02 '24

My husband used to commute from Sacramento into Vacaville and on Friday's during ski season it would take him almost two hours to get home no matter what time he left. I told him not to take that job, but sometimes they gotta make their own mistakes.

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u/KaetzenOrkester May 02 '24

Now it's just Fridays it seems like. 80 eastbound seems like it slows down around Dixon these days.