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Beautiful weather, classic snacks and legendary venues - what more could an England cricket fan ask for?

Ideally, they'd want an Ashes series in Australia where they remain in contention to win back the Ashes once the opening games are done.

That will not be happening on this occasion, however, after Australia's crushing triumph in Adelaide left the home side 3-0 up for the fourth consecutive series on home turf.

The Barmy Army, the vocal contingent, have 3,000 fans flying out for the last two matches in New South Wales and Victoria.

Furthermore, other travel parties who will spend the Christmas period overseas, as well as relatives and companions heading for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The Disappointed Travelers

A group of four supporters are among those affected.

Alex, Sam, Rory and Katie had their itineraries and entry credentials arranged for the Melbourne and Sydney matches "12 months ago", hoping to witness a historic English victory.

From afar, they've seen Australia defeat England convincingly in just under two weeks from their family home in the north of England.

"People in the office has been making comments that the series is done for the last two weeks," said Sam.

"The hope was that we would have the series on the line upon our arrival."

Fading Positivity

Optimism was high about England's chances of breaking a 15-year drought for a triumph on Australian soil ahead of the tour.

Yet now they are looking at the possibility of continuing a barren spell in the country to 19 matches when the next match starts in the MCG on Christmas Day.

The England team - and their followers - will be keen to prevent a dreaded 5-0 scoreline.

Alex said the "entertainment" of head coach the aggressive 'Bazball' approach in recent times had "renewed interest in" Test cricket for England fans.

But the Ryding siblings said they had realistic outlooks for the fourth and fifth Tests - and all they are requesting from the players is "some resilience".

"All analysts points it out, but it all hinges on psychological strength. 'Bazball' has been turned into a buzzword now that is just, like, unrealistic play," added Rory.

"In a five-day Test match, you should dig in. Chasing balls 'sixth stump' areas has never been in the fundamentals, and that is mainly the fault the frontline batsmen."

The Remaining Matches

Prompted about he believed England will triumph in a Test in the current series, one fan responded: "The evidence suggests the hosts are a stronger side right now."

"Necessarily, there must be more than one player that stands up for England and makes a big impact."

Despite the scoreline, the siblings are still anticipating the trip.

"We will have a great time regardless," added another sibling. "We have to go with that outlook."

"Obviously it is a let-down we can't contest the series, but we have invested a significant amount already."

"We plan to savor celebrating the holidays in Australia. This will be mine and Rory's first time traveling over Christmas."

An educator, Katie is determined to make the most of the long-haul travel as part of her seasonal break.

"If all else fails, there's always golf to turn to," she finished.