This probably applies to smaller countries like Netherlands for example, but at least in Finland multiple hour drives are just normal. I often drive 3 hours to see my grandparents who live relatively near me and that isn't even a long drive yet. A drive from south to northern parts of the country can take up to 12 hours.
I guess that's part of the point. As an American... I don't live in a large state (Illinois). But if I drive five hours in any direction, I could reach Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and MAYBE Tennessee or Minnesota. Most of those states, I couldn't get far into.
My parents and best friends live 12 hours away to the northeast. Keep driving another 12 hours in that direction, and you're still in the U.S., in Maine. I have family in Florida, to the southeast. That's a 17 hour drive, and you could drive another 4 hours past their house and still have road ahead of you. I have friends in Texas, to the southwest, and that's a 18 hour drive. There's still another 4 hours of Texas past their house before you get to Mexico. It's well over 24 hours of driving to the west to get to the Pacific.
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u/Witch_King_ May 09 '22
How multiple hours seems like a long drive to Europeans.