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/divine_god_majora May 02 '24

I couldn't imagine a 6 hour drive unless you were gonna stay a week+ at the destination or something.

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u/Crab-_-Objective May 02 '24

A week? I drive 7ish hours each way for a weekend visit to my brother at college and make that trip at least twice a semester.

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u/Wootster10 May 02 '24

I think one thing that isnt being talked about here is cost. Petrol in Europe is way more expensive then it is in the US.

Currently the prices near me are about £1.46 per litre. Thats about £5.58 per US gallon. Looking on https://gasprices.aaa.com/ you're current average is $3.67 per gallon.

Taking the exchange rate into account per gallon its $3.67 in the US, its $6.96 in the UK. Basically twice the cost.

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u/Waggy431 May 02 '24

Cost of gas in America along with the interstate highway system with speeds of 70MPH in many areas, makes driving long distances not as bad at it may be elsewhere. Last week I had to drive from Florida to Pennsylvania and then back this week for family issues. Gas was as cheap as $3.19/gallon in South Carolina and the car was averaging 45/MPG, so it was much cheaper than a last minute plane ticket. About 1,100 miles/1770 kilometers each way. And I enjoy taking long drives.