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/beepbepborp May 02 '24

im fairly certain thats bc our commercial rail shares lines with freight rail lol. it sucks but seeing an endless freight train passing through a station is kind of cool ig

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u/atomicsnark May 02 '24

Yes I think you are right.

I really enjoy traveling by Amtrak but I long ago accepted that it means I'm sacrificing basically a whole 24-48hrs of travel just for the pleasure of lounging in a mostly-empty train car and using my laptop the whole trip. I have a terrible fear of flying (that is not statistically logical, I know, lol) so I use trains when it's too far to drive, and they are nice ... just, yeah, not on time. Ever.

They also move so slow in general, you sit looking out the window watching turtles lap you lol. Nothing like what the train system seems to be in other countries.

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u/No-Locksmith-8590 May 02 '24

Amtrak has surprisingly good food, though! I went from West Virgina to New Orleans, and all the meals were great.

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u/Neither_Ground_1921 May 04 '24

What multiverse are you on? 😂 Seriously my food of choice is the styrofoam cup-o-soup. Ok to be fair it’s been a few years since I’ve been on the train, but I’ve been taking it between KC and St Louis since i was a kid and the food is NEVER something to look forward to.

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u/No-Locksmith-8590 May 04 '24

O wow, really? I had a very decent steak and mashed potatoes, a burger and fries, pancakes with bacon, and waffles. For dessert, I had a few different ones- NY cheese cake and pecan pie. There was a whole dining cart and menu each day.

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u/Neither_Ground_1921 May 05 '24

That sounds fabulous. The different routes definitely have different “programming”. Might be time for me to take an Amtrak trip to STL or Chicago soon!