What is a "long way to travel" for you?

[camlan]

I've been thinking about what a lot of people here are saying--the context is key.

I grumble, to myself, about the 8 hour drive to my brother's family. But when he was engaged to now-SIL, he lived near me. The two of the alternated weekends driving to see each other. Eight hours after work on Friday, spend Saturday together and leave at noon on Sunday to get back home. To me, that seems like a lot of driving. But they were definitely more motivated than I am.

Public transportation makes a difference, too. If I can sit for an hour and read or do a puzzle or crochet on the bus or train, it's "my time" and goes by fairly quickly. If I have to drive for an hour, it is very definitely not "my time." Driving tires me out and can be stressful in and around Boston. At the end of an hour on public transit, I'm fine. At the end of an hour of driving in traffic, I'm a bit tired and cranky and stressed out.

When I moved from Boston to a rural area in another state, I found it interesting that people felt that a 15 minute drive after work, say to a restaurant or a friend's house for dinner, was "long." In Boson, we'd happily spend an hour on the T each way to get together.

[Piratelvr1121]

I think it's funny, when we lived about 15 minutes from my in laws we didn't see them all that often.  Now that we're an hour and 15 minutes, MIL comes over more often.   I think it's because she never really cared much for my parents and knew at our old place they'd drop by unannounced more often.  Now that we're an hour away from my folks and estranged from them, MIL feels a lot more comfortable coming over.   

When my aunt was dying, I drove alone for 5 hours to NJ (probably would have been shorter but for my GPS being set to non-toll roads) and was glad that I was offered a bed at my uncle's house and wouldn't have to turn around and drive the 5 hours back the same day.