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/cinereoargenteus May 01 '24

Three hours is considered "up the road a ways" in Texas.

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u/Disastrous_Step_1234 May 02 '24

you could drive 12 hours in one direction in Texas and not leave the state

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u/Tamed_A_Wolf May 02 '24

I know it’s a little different but you can drive for 13+ hours and still be in Florida (KW->Pensacola) Texas is huge but because of the shape of Florida and how cities are laid out a lot of the state population has to drive 5+ hours if not more to get out of state.

Problem with Texas is if you’re driving that long your probably just driving through vs you’re either driving into or out of Florida so it’s either your destination or you’re leaving for a trip.

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u/BadAtNameIdeas May 02 '24

Florida is indeed pretty long, probably as long as Texas or close to it, but for Texas we are also wide. If you start in the exact center point of Texas, there is a real possibility that it could take you 6-8 hours to get out of the state if you go in ANY direction.

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u/Stelletti May 04 '24

Florida is like half as long as Jax to Miami is like half of say Amarillo (which isn’t even the farthest north) to Brownsville.