Porter Escapes to Boston from Toronto

We’re back after a fun filled long weekend in Boston and I’m left wondering why it took me SO long to get the kids there. Having spent a year living in Boston after I graduated from college the city will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve visited over the years but hadn’t been back since 2010 and this visit with the kids showed me a side of Boston I hadn’t explored before. More on the city and the wonderful eats in the upcoming weeks, but today I want to share our flight experience with two kids under the age of 5!

Disclosure : Our visit was in partnership with Porter Escapes, but as always, opinions are totally mine!

We had decided to head to Boston on a Thursday afternoon and back to Toronto on Sunday so that we’d have Easter Monday to recover and get ready for the busy week ahead. Our original Porter Airlines flight was scheduled for 2:45 p.m. but due to some crappy weather we received a delay notification, even before we left home! That was brilliant because it meant that the kids were able to roam around the house and not be confined to the lounge. A quick Uber Taxi ride saw us at the airport an hour before our new departure time of 3:45 p.m. and it was smooth sailing. The kids love the mention of airplanes and Baby Boy is now more aware of his surroundings and eager as ever to embark on new adventures. This was the first time I felt like they BOTH truly understood the concept of going somewhere new and preparing for their travels.

Check-in was smooth and we opted to bring two suitcases with us (for the beer and diapers ofcourse!). The kids were happy enough roaming around the small Billy Bishop Airport terminal and looking out at the rough waters and the model airplane hanging from the ceiling. We usually encounter some issues at security (who remembers the peeing incident!!) but once again, no issues this time-phew! As we got into the lounge we realized that the place was quite busy that day (expected given the weather induced delays and cancellations) and wasn’t sure we’d snag a table to hang out at. We lucked out and the kids got to “lounge” around with the complimentary cookies and nibbles and Little Monkey was excited about spotting ESKA, her favourite water (she’s a total water snob!). We did encounter another hour of delays but I was luckily able to swap our dinner reservations online and informed our Boston dinner mate (a friend from college) of our delayed arrival.

Once on board we knew to divide and conquer and so Little Monkey and the Hubs sat together while Baby Boy and I sat across from them. The flight was relatively painless, minus a few yells but nothing major. Baby Boy found two willing ladies seated behind us to entertain him, so I enjoyed my complimentary Steam Whistle and veggie chips! I brought milk on board with me as I knew Porter Airline does not carry any on board and as usual I had plenty of snacks and entertainment for them as well. The two hour flight flew by (pun intended!) and sadly neither kid slept on board. Just as we were about to land, Baby Boy decided to poop in his diapers and it was a stinky one! Given that we were so close to landing and that Porter Airline lavatories do not have a change table, I opted to wait it out and changed him as soon as we landed into the Boston Logan airport. We had gate checked the double stroller (with no issues!) so we plopped both kids into it once the washroom visits were done and luckily for us, they both conked out.

When you book your flight and hotel package with Porter Escapes, you know you’re guaranteed an awesome selection of hotels and so we knew our stay at the Langham Hotel that night would be grand. We also knew that we were able to take the FREE silver line bus from the airport to South Station and that we’d be within walking distance to the Langham Hotel and so we opted to do that versus taking a cab. This also meant that the kids were able to sleep in the stroller for the twenty minute ride into downtown, ensuring they weren’t cranky for our late dinner reservation at 9:30 p.m.

Our return journey on Easter Sunday was stress free as well. We caught a $5 (per adult, kids free) bus  from our second hotel, the Fairmont Copley Plaza, to the airport (Boston really has their public transit system figured out!!). We were early enough that we grabbed a beer and some chowder while the kids enjoyed some chicken tenders and grapes, before our flight. This time the hubs sat with Baby Boy who played with his iPad the whole flight and I sat with Little Monkey who was a bit whiny. She had everything to complain about from her eyes being itchy (totally valid reason) to her Samsung tablet not cooperating but overall it was a relatively pain free flight back, even with a trip to the lavatory! Yes it’s small in there and so I had to seat Little Monkey with the door open but then shut it quickly when it came time for her to do her business. Once we landed we were home within thirty minutes and the kids were eager to play with their toys!

Porter Escapes provides a carefully curated menu of flights, hotels and unique leisure options to plan the perfect holiday and we were able to do just that during our visit to Boston. Stay tuned for more stories about our explorations and if you’re curious you can check out the #MurphysDoBoston conversations Twitter and Instagram.