Acquiring your 2nd STR is predicated on your successful acquisition and management of your first, and there are a lot of practical skills to learn on #1.  

Live in an area for 2-3 years, self-manage the property, and then relocate again, passing the baton to a property manager.I’d love to hear advice on any of these markets for making this approach a success!

I have used avail.co in the past with great success but it appears this software and others no longer market on zillow which I know to provide a lot of leads in the past. 

They should have all the resources you will need to be successful in any area you're looking at.

Many of these areas also benefit from both rising home values and increasing rents.Ultimately, successful investing comes down to selecting a growing market, a strong neighborhood, and building a reliable team to support you.

Has anyone done this and have had success? 

Can't think of many better things other than my entire team achieving success time after time!

The key is making sure you have the right team in place—outside of market research, finding a trustworthy property management company is one of the most important factors in making long-distance investing successful.

Those items boost your chances of success renting/showing the unit and enhance it's overall aesthetic, but aren't necessarily required for a new tenant. 

Wishing you success!