The 49ers Are Heading to Australia for the Longest Road Trip in NFL History

The San Francisco 49ers are about to make the longest road trip in NFL history. The team is flying from the Bay Area all the way to Melbourne, Australia, to play their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on September 11. The flight is about 8,000 miles long and will take around 16 hours. That makes this trip a huge challenge — not just on the field, but just getting there.

The 49ers left California on a Wednesday night, but because they cross the international date line, they won't land in Melbourne until Friday morning. The date line is an imaginary line on the globe where one calendar day ends and the next one begins. Crossing it means the team will skip Thursday entirely. It's a strange feeling, but it's part of what makes this trip so unique.

The team got advice from experts on how to handle the long journey. Players were told what to eat, how much water to drink, and when to sleep on the plane. Getting enough sleep is important because the time difference between California and Melbourne is very large. Without a good plan, players could feel tired and sluggish when it's time to play.

Defensive lineman Keion White has his own plan for the flight. He joked that he's going to take a lot of melatonin — a natural sleep aid — and sleep as much as possible on the plane. White has already played games in Germany and London, so international travel is nothing new for him. He said he plans to explore Melbourne on his own after team meetings to help his body adjust to the new time zone faster.

Coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he had some doubts about the trip at first. But he said scientists and the players helped convince him that the team's travel plan made sense. The 49ers will hold a light practice on Saturday after they arrive, take Sunday off, and then practice Monday through Wednesday. That gives the players time to adjust before the big game on Friday morning.

The Rams came up with a very different plan. Instead of arriving early, they plan to do most of their practicing at home and won't get to Australia until about 24 hours before the game. Their idea is that a short stay will mean less jet lag. Both teams think their plan is better, but no one will really know which approach worked until after the game is played.

Getting ready for the trip was a lot of work behind the scenes. General manager John Lynch said the team's staff worked very hard on things like getting visas, which are official documents needed to enter another country. He said even getting all the players' passports sorted out was a big job. One practice squad player even had to have his parents overnight-mail his passport to him.

Offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson had it the hardest. He was traded from the Houston Texans to the 49ers on a Sunday — and the team was leaving for Australia just three days later. He had almost no time to pack or prepare, but he made it work. It was a wild few days for the newest member of the team.

Despite all the stress and travel, the players are excited about the adventure. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said he'd travel 30 hours if he had to, just for the chance to play in an NFL game. Rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, who will be making his NFL debut in Australia, has one thing at the top of his list. "I kind of want to see a kangaroo, just because," he said. "To see how big they are."