I'd like to hear from any of you who have had success in relocating to a new area. I've never lived more than 30 minutes away from my childhood home, and I'm really wanting a change in scenery and a new start. There's a somewhat large-ish city a couple hours away from me that seems like a cool place to live, and I feel like now is a good time in my life to give it a shot.
But how do you go about finding an apartment and a new job in an area you don't live in? The cost of living is unfamiliar, I don't have any friends or family out there, and it just seems kind of overwhelming. I have decent work experience in fields like tech support, customer service, and administrative roles, so I don't think I'd have too hard of a time finding a job. But how do you send in applications knowing it'll be some time before you'll have a place to live in the area? Likewise, how do you find a place to live without knowing how much money you'll be making if you don't have a job yet?
In this economy you will be hired almost immediately. If you really want to move, you'll need to start the process ASAP.
Packing is a pain in the ass, pack everything you need to move before you start sending applications. Have enough money for two week's living in a hotel or AirBnB so you can immediately move there when hired. Don't use U-Haul unless you or someone else knows how to drive large trucks imho. The POD system where you throw stuff in a cargo container they pick up works awesome for small apartments.
Meeting new people:
Meetup.com is a good place to look at if you vibe with the city and what kind of people live there.
Take a class at night at your local community college. Cheap way to meet new adults in your area.