The 5 Reasons Why I Now Call Asia Home – Part 1

The 5 Reasons Why I Now Call Asia Home – Part 1

The longest flight in the world is from New York’s Newark Liberty Airport to the country of Singapore. It is over 9,500 miles and takes nearly 19 hours. Little did I know, when I boarded that flight to the other side of the world that everything I currently knew in my life was about to change.

That is the amazing gift of life. You just never know what might be waiting for you just around the corner. Everything can change in just an instant if you are open to the abundance of gifts life has in store for you.
 

monique-manigault-in-singapore
 

1. Because My Soul Tells Me So

One thing I have known even before I started this current human journey is the gifting of allowing my soul to lead the way. I allow this ever knowing compass to guide me in all areas of my life as it knows what’s best for me and is ever calling me to go higher.

Upon arriving in Singapore my soul knew that I was finally home. As much as I have loved and enjoyed other places I have traveled like Hawaii, Southern Italy, Switzerland among others and a few cities in the US, nothing has resonated with me and my soul outside of New York City as Asia has. My soul just knew it was home.

The interesting thing about this is that it has always known. The sole reason I was invited to Asia was because of the connection a friend knows I felt to Asia and they wanted me to experience it for myself first hand. And boy were they right! I often say, “I am an Asian girl trapped inside of a Black girl’s body.” I now know my friend was used to guide me there. I have a lot of work and living to do in Asia and I’m excited to get started!
 

monique-manigault-in-singapore
 

2. Its Culture Feels Very Familiar to Me

I have always felt very intimately connected to the culture of Asia – from its food, art, architectural design and philosophy around health and wellness. I have also been drawn to their use of naturopathic medicine to cure diseases and ailments. All of these elements have felt ever so connected to my world and life.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a fabulous series on CNN called “Chasing Life” where he explores some of the places in the world that are leading the planet in areas of longevity, nutrition, health and wellness – to no surprise some of those places are on the continent of Asia.

My family owned Chinese restaurants in NYC for years, which I know seems very odd to many, but seems so very normal to me. The decision for them to start Chinese restaurants did not come from me, but the mere existence of them as part of my life had a deeper level of resonance with me and my ties to the Asian culture.

Check out Part 2 of this article here.

If you are interested in experiencing Asia for yourself, join me as I will be hosting a group of entrepreneurs for a Mastermind in Bangkok from October 10th – 13th. Spots are filling fast. Learn all about our upcoming Asian adventure at www.LeverageUpinBangkok.com.


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Traveler Alert: Your Next Low Fare Airline Ticket May Cost You A Lot More Than You Think

Traveler Alert: Your Next Low Fare Airline Ticket May Cost You A Lot More Than You Think

The next time you book a low cost airline ticket to one of your favorite destinations on a low fare airline, be aware that if you’re checking a bag, you won’t know exactly where your bag is and neither will the airline.

Although many of us are excited to save on low airline rates to visit family members, have a getaway or for business travel, be aware that those low priced fares can potentially equate to significant missing services. One such service that I recently discovered was absent while traveling on a low fare airline was a centralized baggage system, which is standard when flying on a major commercial airline.
 

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To say I travel a lot is an understatement. I often say, I hop planes like New Yorkers hop the train. Over my decades of traveling, I have been very fortunate to experience very few incidents regarding missing baggage. If my bag was missing when I arrive from a flight, it was always located, retrieved and returned to me within 24-48 hours. That was the case until recently.

Normally, I always fly on major airlines, but on occasion, when I find a significantly discounted fare, or it is the only flight available during a particular needed time, I will fly a low fare airline.

Earlier this year, I was flying to Chicago to attend the premiere party of my television show “Women on the Move,” when my luggage was lost while traveling on Spirit Airlines.
 

spirit-airlines
 

Unfortunately for me, there were thousands of dollars worth of items in my suitcase (exceeding the $3,500 maximum reimbursement amount). It was bad enough my bag hadn’t arrived, but what added insult to injury was the fact that due to their unsophisticated baggage system, they had absolutely no clue where my bag ended up and were unable to access a centralized system to locate it. So, realistically they didn’t even know if my bag made it on the plane at LaGuardia airport.

If I was on a major airline, they would be able to locate exactly where my bag was with just a few keystrokes. They would know if it was still in New York, in another city or if it was currently in route to me on another flight. With Spirit, they had absolutely no idea at all.

If you don’t check a bag and you just do a carry-on, then you don’t have to concern yourself with this non-existing baggage system.

But if you’re checking a bag with contents that are important to you, just know that depending on what you have in your bag, that great $100 round-trip deal that seems so wonderful could literally cost you a lot more than a major commercial airline ticket you were trying to avoid.


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