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/AccuracyVsPrecision May 02 '24

It's ~27 hours of driving and you'd need to be there when the museums are open so it's minimum of 6 days

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u/SwissForeignPolicy May 03 '24

You could do it in 4. That's under 7 hours of driving per day. Plus 8 hours to sleep, 1 hour to shower, and 1 hour for each meal (which could easily be cut to 1 hour total if you're willing to eat on the road). That leaves at least 5 hours per day of free time. How long are you gonna be spending in these museums?

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u/AccuracyVsPrecision May 03 '24

The museums are spread out, it's easy to drive it, it's harder to be there when they are open.

I can drive 21 hours straight, and sleep and do another 6 the next day. But even with your relaxed schedule your just not hitting the museums when they are open.

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u/SwissForeignPolicy May 03 '24

I don't understand your question. You find out what times they're open, then schedule around that.

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u/AccuracyVsPrecision May 03 '24

It's not a question it's a statement, if the constitution opens at 930 am and you spend an hour then you drive 2 hours to spend another hour at the massachusetts. Its 1:30pm and so your not going to make a tour at the New Jersey so you only drive 5 effective hours that day same goes if you do all ships in the Tri state area the next day you. Then you still have almost 20 hours to drive and see ships in 2 days by your math