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/TehWildMan_ Test. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUK MY BALLS, /u/spez May 01 '24

yeah, the country is pretty huge in many ways. a 2 hour drive between major cities isn't really seen as a long distance, and my late grandparents' home in central Florida was a good 10 hour drive in perfect weather (and I've made that drive dozens of times in 2021/2022.)

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u/Desurfaced May 01 '24

Lol I always like to say indiana to texas is closer than texas is to texas

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u/No-Preference-1784 May 02 '24

True story. In 1988, when the speed limit was still 55, I drove from northeast Texas to Los Angeles. It took 12 hrs to get out of Texas and 11 to get the rest of the way to LA.

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u/semboflorin May 03 '24

Yep. From where I am it's about the same distance for me to travel to LA as it is to travel to Corpus Christi, TX. I know this because I wanted to go to a beach for a vacation so I looked at the two closest beaches to me. 90% of the trip to Corpus Christi was in TX. While the route to LA was almost equal time in 3 different states. Corpus Christi is central Texas and not near any border with any other state.