Anyone have any advice as far as...
1. Changing doctors/banks
2. Getting an appartment beforehand
3. Making sure you have enough money especially to cover expenses for the first month
4. Flying with an animal (a cat)
Etc...
I moved from ohio to california 2 years ago. it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. You just have to stay organized and handle one thing at a time, and it takes awhile to get set up how you were in your old place (you're going to have to live lightly and do without some of your usual comforts) but it's an ongoing process that's pretty satisfying as you go along.
Here's some advice from my experience:
1. Changing doctors/banks
I chose my new primary care physician from a list that my new insurance provided me. Having no clue which one to pick, I just went down the list and started calling all of them. I decided on one that was closest to my house, had the most availability for appointments (some doctors only work a few days a week), and also had the friendliest person that answered the phone when I called to ask a few questions. You're allowed to ask questions before you decide to make an appointment! Plus you don't want to deal with a rude person every time you go to the doctor. Then you just call your old doctor, tell them you want your records sent to your new doctor, and they have you sign a thing that confirms you give them permission to do that.
Pick a bank that has the most ATMs in your neighborhood, one by your house, one by your work. Then you just call your old bank, have them close out your account and either hand your or mail you a cashier's check with your entire account balance on it, which you deposit at your new bank. Make sure you have plenty of cash for the transfer period, which could be a few days or up to a week.
2. Getting an apartment beforehand
Craigslist it up. Ask to see as many photos as you can. Google street view down the street. Check walkscore.com. If you can, you should get a month-to-month or short term sublet for your first place, so you can take the time to scout out where you actually want to plant some roots once you get familiar with the different neighborhoods. If you know someone that can go look at it for you, that's a bonus. Just make a list of everything you NEED to have in an apartment, and once you find a place that checks all your boxes for that list, make a move on it swiftly before anyone else gets it. Bring an air mattress or sleeping bag to sleep in for your first night there before you unpack everything. I ended up only flying out here with one suitcase for the first couple months so I could scout out a good apartment, and I just stayed in a furnished sublet and lived really simply to save up cash. Then I had the rest of my stuff shipped out here after I signed my longterm lease. It could be cheaper to just recreate your life from furniture on craigslist than pay to have your old stuff shipped out.
Some things you would want to know about that you can't find out about unless you see it in person: what are the neighbors like, do people in the building smoke, what is the neighborhood like, any strange noises in the apartment, any pets in the apartment building, parking situation, nearest laundromat, etc
3. Money
You're gonna have to live on a tight budget for awhile. Cut your expenses down to only what you NEED. You're gonna have to pay startup fees on a lot of stuff like apt deposit, gas/electric, water, etc. You might not need to get internet right away, you can go to the library or a cafe to use it. Don't pay for cable. You don't need a tv right away. Just listen to music at home and get free books from the library for entertainment. Don't go out to restaurants, cook at home, its way cheaper. Look for coupons for groceries and stuff and use them. Only buy food when its on sale, and buy a couple of them for backstock. Eat cheap and healthy stuff like rice and beans. Don't go out to bars, or if you do only buy 1 drink and pregame at home with beer that's on sale. Check craigslist free section (or freecycle) to get FREE STUFF! Just get creative and cut costs wherever you can, remember that $5 for the bus could go to rent! Get a cheap bike and ride that mofo!
4. Flying with a cat
I've never flown with an animal, but from what I've heard from other people, you can bring them with you in your seat if you have a certain kind of carrier. I would start by calling the airline you're likely to fly on, like United, to ask them how to go about bringing a cat on board. They make you carry the cat through TSA. Which cats are not too happy about, as you can imagine. You might want to put a blanket over the carrier so the cat can't see all the chaos going on around them. You can also give them a mild sedative. I would think having the cat with you in your seat is probably much less traumatic than having it "shipped" somehow all by itself, although I've heard of people sending cats like that.
We have to drive because we have two dogs that are sickly and it would be so much easier to fly up.