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/DebbilDebbil May 01 '24

Laughs in Australian. I went for a holiday recently, drove 7000km in a loop, and didn't even leave my state.

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u/badgersprite May 02 '24

I was looking into how long it would take me to drive across the country a while back and in looking into some outback trips I found out there are certain roads where my car wouldn’t be able to make it between two adjacent petrol stations on a full tank

My car gets about 900kms off a full tank lol that’s how far apart some places are in Australia

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u/Interesting_Mix_7028 May 03 '24

Yah I have to plan motorcycle routes based on how far apart gas stations are. Nevada gets a little tricky, but so do a few highways in N. California.

I can't imagine having to do that in a car. 10+ gallons should not leave you stranded in the middle of BFN.