by Sandra Hutchinson

Two days after Christmas my family convened in Barcelona, Spain, for our annual tradition of spending New Year’s together, away from our homes. I had rented two, three-bedroom apartments on Booking.com — one for five nights in Barcelona, and another for three nights in Madrid.

Flying into Barcelona, I was on the right side of the aircraft (take note!) and had a great view of the city as we swung out over the sea and approached the airport. La Sagrada Familia is visible in the photo that is more zoomed-in.