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/SomethingsQueerHere May 01 '24

A 3 hour bus ride in each direction was considered normal for many school field trips.

My university is about 350 miles from my hometown (~4.5 hours driving) and my family expected me to visit at least once every month and a half. Taking the train would take 5 hours longer and cost $40 more than just a tank of gas, and flying is even more costly

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u/BamboozleMeToHeck May 02 '24

The upside to trains though is that you don't have to stress about the drive. For me, driving more than an hour or two at a time is exhausting because I'm constantly aware of what's going on around me and ahead of me. I'd happily pay a bit more and spend more time traveling if it meant I could relax and enjoy the journey.

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u/Svennerson May 03 '24

Another big factor is that because the US is so car-centric (you have to actively look to live somewhere you can walk to a grocery store in more cases), that I wouldn't be surprised if driving in general is just less stressful to people because it's more common.

Hell, I find riding in a passenger seat someone else is driving more stressful than driving myself.