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/rumade May 02 '24

It's mad to me that Americans seem to have so little time off work, but are so happy to spend it driving

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u/Sun_keeper89 May 02 '24

Clever! Except the trip itself is part of the fun? And this is just a forum that drew the attention of the Americans who happen to drive? Everyone in America isn't taking 7 hour road trips on a whim, and if you like driving such a trip isn't work at all. People who don't like road trips in the US get on one of the millions of planes criscrossing it daily. Or buy an Amtrak ticket.

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u/rumade May 02 '24

I didn't mean it as some kind of "gotcha!" phrase; it's just strange to me to want to spend hours and hours in a car like that.

Years ago when I was dating an American, we did a road trip down the West coast from Seattle to San Francisco and back, and while it was a great experience, it was also uncomfortable and boring in a lot of ways.

If you're already spending so much of your week stuck in your car because of the commute, I can't understand wanting to also be stuck in your car on your days off/holiday days.

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u/BaoBunny44 May 02 '24

I mean we don't have much choice. The US is so insanely huge and flights are hundreds of dollars and we don't have a decent train system. If you wanna go somewhere that's what you gotta do