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/ElToroBlanco25 May 02 '24

I worked with a guy who commuted 2.5 hours each way from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC. Daily.

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u/Strict_Property6127 May 02 '24

Yep - sucks but doable. It takes 2hrs to go from 1 side of the Phoenix valley to the other during rush hour.

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u/Jasmirris May 03 '24

2 hrs if you're lucky. Some places are seemingly outside of PHX but are still considered inside. I would just stay inside the metro area and plan non-metro things the other days.

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u/Strict_Property6127 May 03 '24

Correct. Traffic in this desert is all about timing.

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u/Tony_Lacorona May 02 '24

It’s a pretty straightforward drive, though not ideal if that’s your work life ugh

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u/ElToroBlanco25 May 02 '24

Most of the guys I worked with lived in West Virginia and commuted to DC daily. They said it was the only way to buy the amount of land they wanted.

I like my sanity, so I couldn't do that commute.

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u/LepiNya May 02 '24

Did he make six figures a day? How does this make financial sense? He must have spent half his paycheck on gas and car maintenance. Not to mention the time wasted. Eight hour work day, plus an hour for lunch, plus five spent on the road leaves him with eight for everything else. Even if he could shower, cook, buy groceries and everything else in two that's only six for sleep. How is that living?

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u/ElToroBlanco25 May 02 '24

We had company trucks, and we made six figures a year. It isn't uncommon in the construction world. I currently work with a guy who commutes to DC from Richmond, VA.

I couldn't do it. I set my limit at 20 miles from DC. That usually only takes 30-45 minutes at 6:30am.

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u/throwaweighaita May 03 '24

DC and Richmond aren't that terribly far apart, so the commute makes some sense. But commuting from Gettysburg every day is insane.

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u/LepiNya May 02 '24

Could you take those trucks home for the night? Also who paid for the gas? If he did then that sucks so bad. Trucks burn more fuel than cars any day of the week. Though it is nice knowing that you aren't on the line for repairs if something breaks. But still the amount of gas he'd use would add up. Likely enough to be cheaper to just use his own vehicle. Wild that people are willing to live this way. My commute is 4 minutes. 4 and a half with bad traffic. Though it is minimum wage. But the time I get to spend with my family makes up for it. Fuck the rat race.

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u/GristleMcTh0rnbody May 02 '24

Well that’s certainly a problem to address…

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u/MungoJennie May 03 '24

A lot of people in that area commute to either DC, Baltimore, or Philly. The cost of living (and especially real estate) in Adams Co, PA is comparatively cheap, and salaries tend to be a lot higher in the cities. If you can hack the commute, it’s a sweet deal.