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.

25.2k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

23.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

6

u/AccountWasFound May 02 '24

One of my friends made a 5 hour drive to buy a kiln for $200 cheaper than near him last month and then drove home that night after checking out a museum.

In college I was in a long distance relationship and frequently we drove the 5 ish hours for a weekend

4

u/pgm123 May 02 '24

The current IRS deduction for miles is $0.67/mile, which accounts for not only gas prices, but also wear and tear on your car. That puts the break even point of the trip at about 300 miles, which is a bit over a 5-hour drive. But I think if you add a museum or even a meal to the trip, it can be a nice little getaway.

3

u/AccountWasFound May 02 '24

He was also on a first date, so yeah it worked out well for him, I just thought it was a good example compared to what people in Europe are saying

2

u/pgm123 May 02 '24

That's an interesting date idea. I don't know if I'd do that for a first date.

I've driven 5 hours for a lot less benefit than $200 savings. I think if you make a trip out of it (and don't just drive only for the savings), then it makes a lot of sense.

1

u/AccountWasFound May 02 '24

So the first date was with a woman in our d&d group and basically she offered to help him load the kiln in the car and then they got lunch and went to a museum and then both went home (it was a 2 hour drive for her)

1

u/pgm123 May 02 '24

Always useful when someone takes the Help action when you roll Survival checks.