'People keep ribbing me' regarding the Ashes being over prior to my arrival.
Beautiful weather, classic snacks and legendary venues - what more could an Three Lions follower ask for?
Realistically, they'd hope for an Ashes series in Australia where they remain in contention to reclaim the urn once the opening games are done.
That will not be happening on this occasion, however, after the hosts' dominant 82-run win in Adelaide put the hosts with a 3-0 lead for the fourth consecutive series on home turf.
The loyal traveling fans, England's supporters' group, have a large group flying out for the final two Tests in New South Wales and Victoria.
Furthermore, other travel parties who will be vacationing overseas, as well as families and friends heading for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
The Disappointed Travelers
The Ryding siblings are four such fans.
The group had their itineraries and entry credentials booked for the Boxing Day and New Year Tests "a full year in advance", dreaming of a rare England series success.
Instead, they have watched Australia dismantle the tourists in just 11 days from their residence in the north of England.
"All my colleagues has been making comments about it being over for the last two weeks," stated Sam Ryding.
"Our expectation had been that we would have a meaningful contest by the time we arrived."
Lowered Expectations
Hope was abundant about England's chances of securing a first win in 15 years for a series win in Australia prior to the first ball.
Yet now they are facing the prospect of continuing a barren spell in the country to 19 matches when the next match starts in Melbourne this week.
The England team - and their followers - will be keen to prevent a whitewash.
It was mentioned that the "excitement and fun" of head coach Brendon McCullum's 'Bazball' in the past couple of seasons had "brought fresh energy to" the five-day game for English supporters.
Yet the fans said they had realistic outlooks for the final two games - and all they are hoping for from the players is "a show of spirit".
"Every pundit references this, but it all is about mental resilience. 'The aggressive approach has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, impractical batting," added Rory.
"During a long match, you should dig in. Chasing balls 'sixth stump' areas has not been part of the textbooks, and that is mainly the fault the frontline batsmen."
The Remaining Matches
Asked whether he believed England will win a match in the current series, Sam said: "The evidence suggests the Australians are superior right now."
"Necessarily, there must be several individuals that makes a significant contribution and makes a big impact."
Even with the series lost, the group remains excited about the trip.
"We are going to have a fantastic experience anyway," added another sibling. "We have to go with that mindset."
"Naturally, it's a let-down we can't contest the series, but we have spent so much money by now."
"We will make the most of spending the festive season out there. It is also mine and Rory's first time abroad at this time of year."
A teacher, Katie is determined to make the most of the 21,000-mile round-trip as part of her time off.
"Should the cricket disappoint, I can play golf to fall back on," she finished.