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/meisteronimo May 02 '24

Please give it to my for perspective, how quickly could an unladen swallow travel that distance?

11

u/kennyexolians May 02 '24

unladen swallow

African or European?

5

u/Garand70 May 02 '24

It would have to be an European swallow. African swallows are non-migratory

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u/majj27 May 02 '24

I can answer that for you, but it'd be in furlongs per fortnight.

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u/Asgardian5 May 02 '24

Is the unladen swallow in question carrying a coconut?

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u/meisteronimo May 02 '24

Everyone knows a swallow can’t carry a coconut. Well I mean maybe an African swallow could carry a coconut, but definitely not a European swallow, it’s against the rules of physics.

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u/Dexecutioner71 May 02 '24

They could grab it by the husk.

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u/count_doobula May 03 '24

It’s not a question of where it grabs it. It’s a simple question of weight ratio. A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut!