How to Move From Orlando to Hollywood
Moving can be a huge hassle without proper preparation, specially if one is moving from Orlando, Florida to Hollywood, California. To properly prepare yourself, you should first research the area where you would like to live in. Researching can span from a simple Google search, to a full blown trip (if you can get time off from work to do so). In fact, a combination of those two, could prove extremely useful. But always remember, that what you're dealing with an elaborately simple process here, which may need to be tweaked slightly to fit your needs. Now let's get to it!
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- job offer or savings
- will power
- patience
- determination
- persistance
- sense of adventure
Instructions
-
-
1
Research the City of Hollywood Online - The first thing you should do is Google the city where you want to live. For example, you could search for "Hollywood, CA" or "Los Angeles, CA", and look for government websites in the search results. Government sites usually provide demographic data, crime rates and community tips. If you're single or a couple, your move will be fairly simple. If you're a family of three or more, then it's useful to do further research such as school locations and school ratings if you have children in school.
-
2
Familiarize Yourself with All Housing Options - After you learn more about the area you want to move to, you should familiarize yourself with the kind of housing available. Apartment rental can be a good choice, if you want to test the waters first before settling permanently at one location. Most apartment rental websites provide critical information such as cost and availability in addition to details and photos of properties. Try sites such as Westside Rentals or Apartment Guide. A little digging will go a long way here. Filter out a list of up to ten places you would consider renting at, then print it. This will be the first document in your "research folder", which you will need to take with you on your scouting trip before you make the big move. A quick tip about Los Angeles is to stay away from East and South Central Los Angeles if you can (look for places to live anywhere north of Pico Boulevard and the Hills, Downtown and the beach completing the search boundary).
-
-
3
Make Sure You Have a Source of Income - If you have plenty of savings in the bank, you should be able to move without major issues. If you've been offered a job and the employer is paying for relocation, then even better. If you're looking to relocate without a job offer, and don't really have enough money to survive in Hollywood, then you should post your resume online. There are several sites out there that are very good at matching you to a great employer based on your qualifications (try Monster or CareerBuilder). For you in this case, the move would be determined by whether you accept an offer from an employer in Hollywood or adjacent areas such as Santa Monica, Westwood and Culver City. Do not move without accepting a job offer, unless you know someone in town that you can stay with for free until you find a job. If you have a job lined-up or plenty of cash then you may proceed to then next step. A scouting trip.
-
4
Plan a Scouting Trip
You should plan to fly out to Hollywood when you have seven days or more you can dedicate to scouting the city. You should make this trip as close to a moving date as possible. Remember, this isn't a vacation. You're just using your vacation time to research the city first hand, so don't make any plans to visit any theme parks or take any tours. This only becomes a distraction, and will ultimately end up costing you (time and money are critical here). Search for affordable round-trip airfare online. You want to purchase a non-stop flight from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). If you can, see if you can get hotel accommodations and transportation as part of a package. Look for a cheap hotel in the Hollywood area, and a car rental service that offers shuttles to-and-from the airport. It's wise to take a flight that land you in LAX in the morning. This way, you'll have enough daytime to take care of any issues that may come up.
-
5
Make the Most Out of Your Scouting Trip - Once you land in LAX, take a shuttle to your car rental service and secure your means of transportation. After you do, drive yourself straight to the hotel and unpack. Next, you'll either want to pull out your laptop and go to Google Maps (or similar service), or drive to the nearest gas station and buy yourself a map. This will be the second key document in your "research folder".
-
6
Map and Visit Your Housing Selections - On these maps, mark the locations of the ten housing properties you printed earlier. This will help you navigate between properties as the trip progresses. Limit yourself to visiting two locations per day, as you want to get a good sense of what the areas are like (it's not just about the apartment itself, but what goes on around it, etc.). It's very important that you find a place that's not only affordable, but also comfortable to your specific needs. After you visit all ten locations, make a decision as to which one you want to sign a lease with and speak to a leasing agent. Make sure they know when you'd be able to move in, and save as much contact information as possible, which you will need when you return to Orlando. If you can, sign a lease, or prepare yourself to sign a lease over the phone from Orlando.
-
7
Wrap Things Up Back Home In Orlando - Well, this is it. You either signed a lease agreement or will be signing it over the phone (voice and fax communications). Now you need to end your current lease agreement in Orlando. If you own a home, then it's time to sell. If you've done that before and think you can wrap it up before move-in date in Hollywood, then go for it. Otherwise, get yourself an agent. Make sure you sign the new lease after you either sell your home or end your current lease agreement. That's very important, as you don't want to end up with two live housing contracts you must pay for.
-
8
Send Your Stuff In a Pod to California - The last thing you want to do is drag all your stuff yourself in a truck all the way from Orlando to Hollywood (it's a five day trip if you drive yourself during daytime). What you want to do is ship all your stuff in a pod. There are several services which move people from state to state, such as Pods (Portable On Demand Storage). These services are extremely helpful because not only do they move your stuff for you, but they also store it, giving you the flexibility you need. So, give one of these services a call and start boxing stuff up. Fill the pod, then ship it when ready.
-
9
Make the Final One-Way Trip to Hollywood - Now you need to get yourself home from home (Orlando to Hollywood). You can either drive your car (if you have one), or you can take the five hour flight to Los Angeles. If you drive yourself home, you'll need to map the trip out. This will involve driving up Florida's Turnpike to I-75 and then to I-10, which is the interstate freeway that will take you straight into California. Again, remember that this isn't a vacation. You're moving, so you don't want to get off the path for any reason, as you might be inviting trouble into the picture. If you can, try to find good cheap motels such as La Quinta Inns. Those tend to be really comfortable and offer quick check-in and check-out services, along with free breakfast service. If you're flying to Hollywood, then you've got it easy. All you need to do is cab yourself to the Orlando International Airport and board your flight. In five hours you should be in Los Angeles where you'll take another cab to your new apartment.
-
10
Call for Your Stuff and Unpack - This is the last stage of the process. After you get the keys to your place, you need to call the pod service and ask for delivery of your stuff to your new place. Once they deliver the pod, all you need to do is unpack, then schedule the pod's pickup. An elaborately simple process.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Stay away from East and South Central Los Angeles.
Look for housing anywhere north of Pico Boulevard and the hills.
This process works best for singles or couples with no children.
This process works best for people currently leasing a home.
This process works for college students.
Resources
- Photo Credit Gerardo Betancourt
