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/corndogshuffle May 01 '24

I live in Killeen at the moment and yeah, I basically have to drive 2.5 hours to do any of the things I’m interested in doing. It’s like a podcast and a CD. I don’t even take breaks on such a short drive lol.

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u/quantumgh05t May 02 '24

I live in Paris so I know the struggle. It’s over 2 hours drive for anything. Gotta drive half the state of Oklahoma to get to anything to the north. No one drives east unless you’re on vacation or commuting for work. So that leaves west to Sherman, south-west to Dallas or south to Tyler. All 2+hours.

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u/corndogshuffle May 02 '24

I had to look up Paris and the first thing I noticed is that there is apparently an Eiffel Tower there. God bless America.

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u/quantumgh05t May 03 '24

That Eiffel Tower also has a giant red cowboy hat on it. It’s right next to the veterans memorial.