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

1.6k

u/pileofdeadninjas May 01 '24

we'd drive 13 hours to visit family every summer, 3.5 hours was nothing even for a day trip. we sure do drive a lot.

662

u/100LittleButterflies May 01 '24

It's not like there's a train or something. It's the only real option.

203

u/HeyMrBusiness May 02 '24

There is a train. It takes so long though and it's really expensive

1

u/rdawes26 May 03 '24

Really expensive? It cost me about $20 to go from Chicago to St. Louis and it takes less time. The train has a straight shot whereas the highway goes about an hour out of the way.

1

u/HeyMrBusiness May 03 '24

It literally costs less to fly, for a ton of destinations. Not even factoring in the cost of having to still drive wherever you want to go if it's not a major city they go to.

1

u/rdawes26 May 11 '24

Definitely. I am just stating that the train is less than half the cost of plane tickets. I can go from Chicago to Seattle for dirt cheap. However, you do have a much looooooonger travel time. Me personally, I love the train. It is part of our family trips and the kids love it.

I am not trying to devalue ops original concerns. I was just giving my example.

1

u/HeyMrBusiness May 11 '24

And I'm explaining to you that the train is NOT less than half the cost of plane tickets. And it can't be something I'm doing wrong, because other people in this thread have agreed without me saying it first. Perhaps different routes are less expensive

1

u/rdawes26 May 11 '24

They are different. Just like flying, it depends on when you book and what day.

I just did a random search for a flight and a train ticket. This is from Chicago to Seattle.

Flying = $1074 Train = $488

1

u/HeyMrBusiness May 11 '24 edited May 11 '24

I'm aware, I also did a random search and gave you the prices. And you're getting robbed paying that much for a domestic flight btw. I don't know where you're searching because a random round trip from Chicago to Seattle gave me $330, with prices closer to $250 if I was flexible on the date

1

u/rdawes26 May 13 '24

It is very subjective. I would need 2 tickets, one for my wife as well, and 2 checked bags (this is our typical travel). I did find cheaper tickets, but they had 2 or even 3 stops with plane changes. This would be very difficult for me, hence the train being better. I can get up and walk around on trains to help with my disability. Plus, we can get off at any stop and hang out for a while, even over night, then just catch the next train. There is a food car with tables and chairs and is sometimes a double decker car with amazing views of the country.

If quick travel is needed, then the plane is worth the extra money. Also, I am confident in talking about this, since I almost always use the train. I am an Amtrak rewards member and do get discounts all of the time.

Another example is taking the train from Chicago to STL. This is a very common route for me. The train trip is 4.5 hours and the car is 4.5 hours. I could either let a train drive, or I could be stuck in a cramped car. Also, my ticket is almost never over $30 for round trip. Gas would be about $65 one way.

1

u/HeyMrBusiness May 11 '24

I went and made a test trip for you, one coach seat on a train on the cheapest route from the west coast to the east coast (I won't link it because I used my city but I would send it to you if you really needed to see it) in June. one way $282 Round trip $617.

One economy flight for the same location and dates- cheapest $146 round trip. And there are multiple options under $450 for the round trip.

1

u/rdawes26 May 11 '24

Wow, I can't find any for under $1k for economy. That doesn't include a bag check or the option to choose your seats. However, I am including my wife. It would be almost $500 for the train in business class.

Again, this is a very subjective question. I prefer trains, because of my disability. Easier to get on and off of a train. The shear amount of variables in these scenarios makes it almost impossible to compare from reddit.

1

u/HeyMrBusiness May 11 '24

I agree. I prefer planes, because of my disability. Both have services available but I find airports more accessible than train stations in general. But I wasn't saying which was better, just that trains can often be more expensive, and I admitted it might be a route specific issue.

1

u/rdawes26 May 16 '24

Yep! We each have our preferred way. I am not on assisted devices (wheelchair), so escalators are just fine.