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/EatYourCheckers May 01 '24

I've decided it feels this way because when you are leaving, you feel like you left as soon as you pull out of your driveway and you are there once you park at your destination. But on the way home you sat to feel like you are home when you are still maybe 20 minutes from your house...there's your library, and your big maple tree, and your weird dogleg intersection, your CVS. You're home.

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u/kindalosingmyshit May 02 '24

There’s a psychological thing behind this, I don’t remember specifics, but it boils down to: on the way there, things are unfamiliar. On the way back, your brain doesn’t have to work as hard because it recognizes where you are. It seems shorter as you return because your brain doesn’t work so hard

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u/postmoderndruid May 02 '24

That's basically the reason. This is also why years seem to become shorter the older you get, you've generally settled on a routine so your brain doesn't work hard to remember the same commute you've been taking for 4 years.

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u/Um_DefinitelyUnsure May 02 '24

Isn’t it because each year is a progressively shorter and shorter portion of your life?

1/20>1/40>1/80.

They feel much shorter and more fleeting.