About Us
About us
Making your international relocation as smooth and efficient as possible
We launched StartAbroad because we know from experience how overwhelming international moves can be. We’ve been there. We get it. Let us manage the details so you can focus on your next adventure.
Our story
The world has changed. With the rise of remote work, growing political unease, and more concerns than ever about cost of living, international relocation has never looked so good. At the same time, more and more countries – think Costa Rica, Panama, and Portugal – are implementing affordable visas that make the dream of living in a beautiful, exotic locale attainable.
But moving internationally isn’t as easy as it is sometimes made out to be. Making the move can be an overwhelming amount of work. Some people have reported sinking hundreds of hours into the process, and then making an expensive mistake anyway!
After experiencing the challenges of relocating 12 times between them, co-founders Anna and Zach launched StartAbroad to serve as trustworthy experts truly representing clients’ interests. At StartAbroad, our goal is to make moving internationally a smooth, efficient, and joy-filled process.
Not sure how to get started?
Speak with an international relocation specialist for free
How we work
End-to-end support throughout the relocation process
StartAbroad serves as the “general contractor” of your relocation. We offer solutions for every aspect of your relocation, including: immigration, vehicle purchase, real estate, rental search, airport pickup, tax planning, and much more.
Understand
You will receive detailed checklists to keep you on track, and have consistent checkpoints with your dedicated relocation specialist, to understand all of your options
Decide
StartAbroad will match your goals with its expertise to create tailored recommendations on how you might move forward
Act
StartAbroad will act as your “boots on the ground” to implement as many aspects of your relocation as possible, including providing connections to best-in-class service partners
Adapt
Adjusting to a new country always comes with some ups and downs. StartAbroad will be available to support clients for up to 30 days after a move.
Why StartAbroad?
No two relocations are the same. So why should the support you receive be?
The most hands-on, tailored international relocation support on the market
We recognize that every relocation is different. We get to know our clients so that we can tailor our support to each individual situation. We achieve this by assigning a dedicated relocation specialist to each client, scheduling hour-long kick-off calls at the beginning of the process, and holding bi-weekly touchpoints.
Professional expertise you can count on
StartAbroad has over 20 years experience working internationally and has helped over 200 individuals and families move all over the globe. We have local experts on the ground in each destination, and work with tried-and-true partners with expat expertise.
Comprehensive, end-to-end support
StartAbroad offers solutions for every aspect of the relocation. Whether you are in the investigative phase, moving next week, or you’re already here, StartAbroad has got you covered. We can serve as your central point of contact so that you do not need to waste time finding various service providers and managing many relationships.
You don't have to make the move on your own
When you work with StartAbroad you get access to StartAbroad. We assign each client a dedicated international relocation specialist. Clients get unprecedented access to experts via a dedicated client line and Concierge Client Whatsapp line, which ensures that you will get a response to your question quickly. With StartAbroad, you won’t have to make the move on your own.
Save time, money, and stress
Moving abroad should be a joyous experience, but many expats report that the relocation process turns negative because they sink hundreds of hours into research, get taken advantage of, and/or make expensive mistakes. StartAbroad clients report saving tens of thousands of dollars by saving time and avoiding expensive mistakes.
Meet the owners
Zachary Gerth
Zach has a background building and scaling programs in developing country contexts. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, he became country director for Courts for Kids in the Dominican Republic. He got his MPA from Columbia University, then served as One Acre Fund’s Agroforestry Lead, where he oversaw the scaling of an innovative system of tree production and distribution, culminating in over 100 million trees distributed across eight countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Anna Sosdian
Anna has a background and expertise in international HR, an MBA with a focus in entrepreneurship, and experience leading a division of 100+ employees. After graduating from the University of Virginia she worked as a teacher in a British boarding school, spent five years in Kenya overseeing HR for a large international NGO, and set up HR for a tech startup working across 20 countries, before getting her MBA from IE University in Madrid. She has overseen the international moves of over one hundred westerners over her professional career.
StartAbroad client reviews
We would highly recommend using StartAbroad for your relocation needs… [Their relocation] program is very comprehensive and they anticipated our every needs to make sure that our move went smoothly.
We would have made many mistakes on our own… [StartAbroad was] worth every penny and now looking back we can’t imagine having made this move without their assistance.
Clay & Sarah (& Sam)
Costa Rica Concierge Clients
My work schedule doesn’t leave me much time to plan effectively and that’s why I’m glad I found… StartAbroad. From the first call with Anna, I knew she really listened to me and what I needed based on the questions she asked. By the time we had our next conversation, she had prepared my entire list of tasks and topics with timelines.
I know that some people will do this on their own and that’s great. But for me, this is money well spent and it gives me peace of mind.
Lorraine
Portugal Concierge Client
It was an ultimate pleasure working with StartAboard, from start to finish they took care of every minor detail. Their service took loads of pressure off my hands as you can imagine all the small details and variables you have to consider when moving to a different country.
I would highly recommend StartAboard if you are looking to relocate.
Reggie W.
Costa Rica Concierge Client
As a concierge client StartAbroad handled every necessary detail for a successful purchase of property in Portugal and pathway to the Golden Visa. I am on my way!
Time was everything for me and the concierge fee was well worth the price and in fact was a “steal” given that they handled every detail from property assessment, all in-country expertise including buyer’s realtors, specialist attorneys, hotels, car rentals etc.
Elias
Portugal Concierge Client
[The team at] StartAbroad were absolutely fantastic… These guys saved our family so much time – it’s quite difficult to quantify the value of their service. One thing for sure, for the small amount that they charged us for facilitating our digital nomad visas – in comparison to the huge amount of time we saved, is substantial!
Very pleasant to work with, very professional, clearly they care very much about what they are doing and their work reflects this.
Mateo
Digital Nomad Visa Support
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