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Beautiful weather, classic snacks and legendary venues - what more could an supporter of the English team possibly want?

Realistically, they'd hope for an contest for the urn in Australia where they retain a possibility to win back the Ashes once the opening games are done.

This is not the case during this tour, after the hosts' dominant 82-run win in Adelaide left the home side 3-0 up for the fourth successive Ashes series on Australian grounds.

The Barmy Army, the vocal contingent, have thousands of supporters making the journey for the last two matches in Sydney and Melbourne.

In addition, there are travel parties who will spend the Christmas period down under, as well as loved ones embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The Disappointed Travelers

A group of four supporters are four such fans.

The four siblings had their flights and tickets booked for the fourth and fifth Tests "12 months ago", hoping to witness a long-awaited triumph.

From afar, they've seen Australia defeat England convincingly in just 11 days from their house in the north of England.

"All my colleagues has been making comments regarding the concluded contest for the last two weeks," commented one sibling.

"Our expectation had been that we would have a meaningful contest still when we got there."

Diminishing Hope

Hope was abundant about England's chances of breaking a 15-year drought for a victory down under before it began.

But they are now facing the prospect of prolonging a streak without victory in the country to 19 consecutive Tests when the next match starts in Melbourne on Thursday, 25 December.

The England team - and their supporters - will be hoping to sidestep a clean sweep.

Alex said the "entertainment" 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 requesting from the players is "a show of spirit".

"Commentators consistently references this, but it all comes down to fortitude. 'This style has been elevated to a term now that is just, like, unrealistic play," added Rory.

"In a five-day Test match, you should apply yourself. Chasing balls 'outside the line has never featured in the coaching manuals, and that is mainly the fault the top order."

The Remaining Matches

When questioned if he believed England will secure a victory in this Ashes series, one fan responded: "It looks like the Australians are superior at the moment."

"Necessarily, there must be several individuals that stands up for England and turns the game."

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

"It will be a wonderful trip anyway," said Katie. "We must adopt that outlook."

"Naturally, it's a let-down we aren't fighting for more, but we have made a substantial financial commitment by now."

"We will make the most of having Christmas and New Year out there. It is also our first experience abroad over Christmas."

A teacher, Katie is focused on enjoying the 21,000-mile round-trip as part of her seasonal break.

"As a backup plan, there's always golf to rely on," she added.