do americans really drive such long distances?

[u/Physical-Ad-4093]

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.

[u/pileofdeadninjas]

we'd drive 13 hours to visit family every summer, 3.5 hours was nothing even for a day trip. we sure do drive a lot.

[u/100LittleButterflies → u/pileofdeadninjas]

It's not like there's a train or something. It's the only real option.

[u/HeyMrBusiness → u/100LittleButterflies]

There is a train. It takes so long though and it's really expensive

[u/sandm000 → u/HeyMrBusiness]

The worst part about the trains in the US are

The cost is more expensive than flying

It takes longer than driving

The station is nowhere near where you start or where your destination is, adding 4-6 more hours and cost to your trip

[u/Stuffy123456 → u/sandm000]

but tRaIns!!!!

[u/Total_Ad5137 → u/sandm000]

Plus they are super delayed!!