Reflections on the A to Z challenge 2025

Posted on by cassmob

As so often happens with me and these challenges, my theme is only forming when the starter’s gun goes off.  Friends who are more thoughtful and prepared, often have their own program already mapped out, and many posts written.

I hadn’t planned to join in this year though I’d had an idea back in January but decided it would be too political and contentious. Then a random conversation on Facebook prompted the theme for this challenge: I’d write about Airports, Airstrips, Aircraft, and Airlines I’ve known and flown with, over the years since my adult travelling life began.

For a brief period in the distant past, I’d worked as a travel agent and often had travel responsibilities in other work roles I’ve had. These days, I’m the family’s online travel agent and travel planner and coordinator. Completing this challenge would provide me and the family with a different travelogue touching on most of our trips (others were by car, bus, train and boat). We’ve been very privileged to be able to travel so widely and often. You might want to look at my “W” post to see how that came to pass.

 Challenge was the right word for what I’d undertaken, as drawing on two sets of memories (his and mine), our travel was set out by place and events. In some instances, neither memory could come up with convincing solutions. Even now, I’m remembering a few places that I’d omitted. In the interests of maintaining the family records, I’ll likely go back and add them into the relevant post.

I also discovered that my “system” of travel memorabilia and photographs (slide, hard copy or digital) left a lot to be desired. I thought I’d set up appropriate folders on the computers, and saved relevant emails but…”the best laid plans of mice and men”. Yes, I had some diaries and aerogrammes which helped, and then realised my Facebook memories had become a digital diary from c2010.

My next challenge is to consolidate photos stored in different locations after technology changes, add more meta data. This should take quite some time! Not to mention the chaos I’ve generated in the house in my searches! I hope between A to Z and these other sources, I’ll have a useful history for the family.

Other A to Z participants

I knew that starting late would distract and delay me from reading other posts, however I made a concerted effort to comment on most posts by those I follow(ed) or who visited.

Many were writers I follow for my family history interests but others have also given me entertainment along the way. Some are even detours from A2Z, where comments have sent me to new blogs. I’ve completed my own posts ahead of time and will now spend time visiting a few others. I do wish some had a like button for instances where I don’t know enough about the theme to comment.

For those who aren’t lying in heap after getting across the finish line, you may be interested in the nine previous A to Z challenges I’ve participated in. I will be uploading it later today.

Thanks to the organisers for gathering us together each year for the challenge. I remember first joining the 2012 challenge and the overwhelming numbers of participants.

Thank you also to all those who visited, liked or commented on my posts, especially those for whom flying hasn’t played the same role as it had in our lives.

If anyone has successfully downloaded their blog posts to a book I’d love to hear about it. I did several through a company that closed down and still have posts I’d like to save in hard copy. I know I can export them from WordPress but I’m hoping for something more.

Amended with additions and subtractions but still missing some work flights, and maybe others.

The later peaks reveal the empty-nest years, and the troughs, the camping years.

15 thoughts on “Reflections on the A to Z challenge 2025”

  2. I enjoyed your posts. I couldn’t get the letter badges down, so didn’t use them. You, Jill and I had travel themes. Itchy feet????

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  3. Your posts were so informative as you have been to many places I haven’t been, especially New Guinea and Africa. The questions you asked were a great way to get people to comment. I must try that next year. I also enjoyed finding airports we had both experienced, although it wasn’t the airport that stayed in the memory, it was what happened around that time. Let’s hope we can both be inspired to have another go at the A to Z next year..

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    1. Thanks for journeying with me. I agree, we mostly notice airports for what we were there for, and anything untoward that happened. Coming up with bright ideas from year to year isn’t easy, is it?

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  4. I am glad you rallied and joined in the challenge. I enjoyed your travels, it was a clever theme. I am impressed with your FlightRadar report.

    I too am interested in a replacement for Blog2Print.

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    1. Thanks Anne, sometimes last-minute inspiration works. GeniAus is much more focused on keeping her FlightRadar up to date. I’d been treating it as a once-and-done.
      Maybe someone will offer a replacement suggestion.

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  6. I have really enjoyed your posts Pauleen, They brought up so many memories for me that I hadn’t thought about for years. As the challenge went on, I was very impressed as I know you didn’t plan to start until the last minute. Well done. Hope to see you in 2026

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    1. Thanks Jennifer. You’d think I’d learn and plan ahead but often inspiration strikes at the last moment. I’m pleased my posts reignited some of your memories as well. As to 2026…we’ll see.

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  8. I thought you had an interesting theme and I’m impressed with how much you remembered about all your journeys! Similar to you, I wasnt sure about joining the challenge this year and when I decided to do it, I mostly wrote my posts on the day itself, which meant I didn’t have time to read other blog posts. But kudos on completing the challenge and let’s get started thinking of next year’s theme! 🙂

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  9. Congratulations on completing another A to Z Challenge. Your sphere of airports didn’t have so much overlap with mine, so it was interesting to see so many different places.

    (By the way, your site often wouldn’t let me leave comments.)

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