'People keep ribbing me' over the Ashes finishing ahead of my trip.
Golden sun, savory pies and iconic stadiums - what else would an England cricket fan desire?
Realistically, they'd hope for an contest for the urn in Australia where they retain a possibility to win back the Ashes after the first three Tests.
Unfortunately, this scenario is off the table on this occasion, however, after the hosts' dominant triumph in Adelaide left the home side with a 3-0 lead for the fourth straight contest on home turf.
The Barmy Army, the organized fan base, have 3,000 fans making the journey for the concluding fixtures in the SCG and MCG.
In addition, there are organized trips who will celebrate the holidays down under, as well as loved ones planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Fans with Booked Tickets
The Ryding siblings are a prime example.
The four siblings had their travel arrangements and match passes arranged for the Boxing Day and New Year Tests "well ahead of time", hoping to witness a rare England series success.
From afar, they've seen Australia outplay the visitors in just under two weeks from their family home in the north of England.
"Everyone at work has been making comments regarding the concluded contest for the last two weeks," commented one sibling.
"We always thought that we would have the series on the line by the time we arrived."
Diminishing Hope
Optimism was high concerning a potential victory of breaking a 15-year drought for a series win in Australia before it began.
Yet now they are facing the prospect of continuing a barren spell in the country to 19 consecutive Tests when the Boxing Day Test begins in Melbourne this week.
The tourists - and their followers - will be desperate to avoid a dreaded 5-0 scoreline.
One sibling noted the "entertainment" of head coach Brendon McCullum's 'Bazball' in recent times had "renewed interest in" Test cricket for English supporters.
However, the group said they had minimal hopes for the remaining matches - and all they are requesting from the players is "some resilience".
"All analysts alludes to it, but it all is about fortitude. 'The aggressive approach has been turned into a buzzword now that is just, like, nonsense cricket," added Rory.
"Over the course of five days, you should dig in. Wafting outside 'wide of off stump has not been part of the textbooks, and that is primarily due to the frontline batsmen."
Future Prospects
Asked whether he believed England will win a match in the current series, one fan responded: "It looks like the Aussies are just too good right now."
"Necessarily, there must be more than one player that stands up for England and makes a big impact."
Despite the scoreline, the fans are looking forward to the trip.
"We are going to have a fantastic experience regardless," commented Katie Ryding. "Our approach is that outlook."
"Naturally, it's a let-down we don't have more to play for, but we have made a substantial financial commitment by now."
"We plan to savor having Christmas and New Year out there. This will be our first experience traveling during the festive period."
A schoolteacher, Katie is focused on enjoying the 21,000-mile round-trip as part of her Christmas holidays.
"As a backup plan, I've got golf to turn to," she finished.
