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ABOUT US

FRIENDSHIP MAKES OUR WORLD GO ROUND!

ABOUT US

FRIENDSHIP MAKES OUR WORLD GO ROUND!

Girl Gone International is a thriving, fast growing worldwide community of 500,000+ international women with local communities in over 200 cities. GGI was founded by Anne Scott in 2010 as a way to overcome her own social isolation while living overseas and has since grown into an identity, a way of life, friendship and belonging.

We are on a mission to connect, represent and empower the 112 million women living outside the country of their birth. We co-create local and global community, offer safety, support and friendship so that together we can go farther in every area of life no matter where we are or where we come from.

GGI story

AND KEY DATES

^
2010

Anne Scott moves to her 10th city in 10 years.

She arrives in Hamburg and has to start all over yet again. Feels lonely, isolated, lost, excited, overwhelmed. If she could just find someone who understood. Creates ‘Hamburg International Women’ and searches for other womxn living abroad in the city.
^
26 October 2010

Six international women living in Hamburg meet in a pub one rainy night.

They instantly connect over shared experiences and perspectives, laugh and have fun. Anne feels a sense of belonging and support. These women have thrown her a lifeline. Happy!

^
2011
Inspired, Anne creates more meetups to help other womxn feel belonging away from home too.

HIW explodes, reaches 3000 members as we discover the strength in togetherness. 

Founder members Tamara, Olive, and Maya move city and take the concept with them.

^
2012

Madrid, Amsterdam and Berlin International Women launch.

Anne moves to Amsterdam. People ask her, “Are you an expat? Traveller? Nomad?” – “No, I am a girl who has gone international”. The Girl Gone International movement is born to represent & unite this new generation of mobile womxn.
^
2013
Anne’s BFF Meghan moves from Hamburg to Amsterdam and they create the 1st edition of the GGI digital magazine.

It unexpectedly goes viral in March 2013 and has 100,000 unique readers in the first few months – eek! 

Life happens. Anne moves to Mallorca, Meghan to the States, Tina to Abu Dhabi, Michelle to Shanghai – all create GGI communities in their new homes. 
^
2014

GGI team grows, hubs open globally, more magazine issues, more womxn calling themselves a GGI.

GGI love & empowering culture spreads & sparks 1000s of friendships & opportunities. 

Babies, cancer, divorces, breakdowns bring the team wisdom & vision.

^
2015 - 2018

All the while GGI keeps growing. Momentum is huge. We are scared but we know we have a job to do.

In struggle comes strength, we recharge, work hard and save money.
^
2018

We enter 2018 with 140+ cities, 250,000+ members, 10 issues and enough cash to finish our first website.

With the experience, energy, and resources to reach, support, empower, represent and globally connect even more womxn on their own journey, no matter where in the world they come from or find themselves.
^
2019

Facebook name Girl Gone International as one of the 100 most meaningful communities on its platform. We hit 8 million organic reach per month.

We celebrate by issuing a Special Edition of our Magazine for International Women’s Day.  

We continue to grow quickly and we welcome the 1000th member of our volunteer team. Violet Dove steps in as Global Community Manager to help us coordinate our non stop growth!

We hold successful crazy fun Global Community Summits in Marrakech and Hong Kong. 

^
2020

We celebrate our 15,000th event, our 500,000th member, our 200th community, our 60th book club and our 10th birthday!

The pandemic hits and our mobile community is grounded. We rally and offer hundreds of online events. 

We create extra lifelines to womxn in domestic abuse situations stuck overseas.

We win a place on Facebook’s Community Accelerator and look towards a future of even faster, sustainable growth offering everything you have asked us for – travel experiences, merchandise and professional courses to help you go even farther in every area of life! 

Together Farther.

community
best friends

GIRL GONE INTERNATIONAL

Become Part of Our story

I AM A GGI BECAUSE

Travel was my first love 

I AM A GGI BECAUSE

I call many countries my home

I AM A GGI BECAUSE

My foreign accent is a sign of bravery

I AM A GGI BECAUSE

I’m on a journey, final destination unknown