Australia is one of the most unique and beautiful countries on earth. Traveling to Australia is one of the worst experiences in air travel. While the San Francisco 49ers caught their flight last week to suit up before their Thursday game, the Los Angeles Rams made the unusual decision to wait until the last minute to make the trip, opting not to leave until Tuesday night LA time, which was Wednesday morning in Melbourne.
As someone who was born and raised in Australia and has flown 18 times in my life, I have to say this decision by the Rams was mind blowing. Nothing quite prepares you for 14 hours and 45 minutes of time in the air, not even on a private jet—and that’s before we even talk about the toll jet lag and inverted climate can take on your body when you land.
It’s worth noting that the Rams have decked out their private jets to make sure every player is flat in bed on the flight, but that doesn’t change the basic fact that you’ll be in the air for more than half a day. I’ve done this flight in coach, I’ve done it in business class – and in my experience, the discomfort is much less than the required class size, but the air feels drier and longer.
Airplane air has a relative humidity of 10 to 30 percent, well below what most people consider “comfortable” at 60 percent. This desert-like lack of humidity, coupled with the tolerable temperatures, means you’re dehydrating at a high rate without really feeling it. Hey you they have To stay ahead of the curve to pump a lot of water, but they don’t do it right. wantBecause your body is not getting the necessary signals for thirst. Whenever I fly, I do my best to down 64 ounces on the flight, and if I get over 20, I’m lucky.
Having a full bed on a private flight is a joy I’ve never known, but at some point you’re still stuck on a plane for 15 hours. The first few hours are great, then you start waking up around 7-to-9 hours, and the last four hours of the flight are hell. There’s no walking, no distractions you’ll find on the plane that makes it better. All you want in the world is to get off that plane, and it doesn’t get much more comfortable than a long car ride if you have some autonomy over the temperature, the stops, and the ride.
Your reward for that horrible plane ride is one of the most inspiring experiences you’ll ever have when you step out of the cabin. The Rams leave Los Angeles in early fall to around 88 degrees and arrive in Melbourne in early spring, which is 30 degrees cooler. Rams are used to traveling from warmer climates to cooler climates, but this is coupled with a full clock transition from morning to night and a 30 percent change in humidity. Throwing in your body is such a drastic change that it often wants to shut down and rest as a result.
Sleeper praised the Rams’ approach, saying even the 49ers’ early flight didn’t give them enough time to adjust. – But sleep is only one factor in this. In the first three or four days, you just feel it It’s gone After the trip, and part of it is due to sleep, but many more things are right. Changes in weather, changes in pressure, changes in humidity, changes in allergies, changes in air quality – there are many things that can affect how you feel after a flight. Honestly, I don’t think they’ve given themselves enough time to fix their RAM, even if it’s technically sound.
I’m not sure Rams understands the time difference.
Looking at the Rams’ travel schedule There was a quote from Sean McVay that jumped off the screen..
“I look at it like Friday night,” McVay said, comparing it to a traditional Sunday game schedule. “It’s Tuesday night for you guys, but it’s the same as Friday night. You sleep all night and then we get there and we kind of have a blast.”
I don’t know what McVay is saying here because this is not the schedule the Rams have. It’s Australia in the future The United States at 17 hours – not vice versa. This isn’t a “Friday night” game, according to McVay – because the game will be broadcast live on Thursday nights in the United States.
The Rams arrived on Wednesday, 5.45pm Australian time. That gives them just Wednesday night and Thursday to recover — then they play Friday morning at 10:35. McVeigh seemed confused considering the game isn’t taking place in Melbourne until Saturday morning, which would be Friday night US time.
Does all this hurt the Rams?
It’s up to them. In my significant experience traveling from Los Angeles to Australia, it’s brutal, and I can’t imagine being asked to play an NFL football game within two days of landing. Heck, this was Matthew Stafford at his press conference after landing in Melbourne, and he still looks like he’s been through 10 rounds in the boxing ring.
With the decision so close to catching the flight and taking off, the Rams may be trying to play 4D chess and we’ll see Thursday night. Maybe they’ll come out looking like the Rams of old, but if there’s any sign of struggle, it’s fair to criticize this decision in Week 1.