How Do You Get Empty Nest Syndrome With No Nest?

Nomad Life (Week 25) - From Victoria, Vancouver Island 🇨🇦

Jul 31, 2026

I didn’t suffer from empty nest syndrome when my daughter went off to college.

Mainly because we didn’t really have a nest. We’d left our house in Phuket, Thailand back in 2024 after she’d graduated, did a stint in Brisbane, and then stayed in London over the 25/26 Christmas period while she got settled.

When we left in February to pursue our nomadic dreams, Cerys (my daughter) was fully ensconced in her life as a college student, and I was biting my nails wrapped up in my apprehension of backpacking through South America.

I didn’t have time to miss her.

Until…

Then, she holidayed with us for 4 weeks in Vegas & Cabo & flew home 3 weeks ago as we made our way to Canada.

A new country, a new city to explore, I should have been beside myself with excitement.

But I wasn’t. I was sad.

I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me through the first week. I just kept waking up feeling a bit low and teary.

I thought maybe it was because we’d left the sun, sea, sand & margaritas behind in Cabo (probably a bit of that 😉), but then I realised, I was finally suffering from empty nest syndrome. With no nest!

Over the month she’d stayed with us I’d had a glimpse of our little family unit back together again, until suddenly it wasn’t.

She went her way, we went ours, and it’s hit me that she probably won’t ever live with us again.

It’s a blessing and a curse of course. I no longer have to do her washing, pay for her ridiculously expensive Vanilla Iced Lattes, or go hunting for my brush or shampoo because she’s nabbed them. 🙄

But I also miss us singing at the tops of our lungs in the car, weekly cinema visits to see whatever’s on (we’d literally go & see anything), & girly duvet days.

A Dog to Keep Me Company

But I had the lovely Bailey to keep me company while here, who licked the tears off my face a couple of times, along with eating my bottle of antihistamines, a chunk of cheese I left on the side, half of Rhett’s bolognaise, & most of my sausage roll this morning when my back was turned. 😂

Nothing like a food crazed dog to lighten the mood!

As I write this we’re leaving the city of Vancouver on a ferry headed to Victoria.

Despite feeling a touch sad, we’ve had a great time exploring the area.

Rhett and I did a gorgeous walk around Stanley Park, with beautiful views across the water. We even spotted a few seals.

We had a great day out at Granville Island, and came away from the market with some maple syrup sausages, and a pot of vegemite! (Purchase of the trip 😂)

We also caught the little boat around to Kitsilano Beach and ate fish and chips overlooking the ocean.

Then yesterday we took a few cold ones over to the Shipyards & enjoyed an afternoon of sunshine & live music, with perfect views of Canada Place & downtown Vancouver.

Plus we had a whole week of sunshine and at one point it hit 28°. (Though the breeze is still a bit chilly so the hoodie is always to hand!)

Then yesterday I did my first ever solo Substack live, talking about getting over the fear of jumping on camera or hitting publish on your writing, (and to demonstrate I procrastinated for 3 hours before I hit ‘Go Live’) but it was great fun.

Check it out here:

More to come!

So that’s been Vancouver!

By the time you read this my good friend Ed who I’ve never met in person will have toured us around Victoria for the day and I can’t wait to meet him.

Quick update - this was Ed meeting us off the ferry - Love the sign! 😂

Ed is a park runner and posted a motivational message while running for 1214 days consecutively, on his Instagram channel before having to break his streak due to an eye operation.

He’s the living proof of consistently showing up, which is what my solo live was about yesterday - but that’s not why I’m buying him dinner.

Back in 2021/2022 when my Mum was super poorly, we discovered she had COPD. (60 years of smoking will do that to you.)

Ed was on the end of the phone whenever I needed him. He knew what to expect, what to ask the doctors, and how to interpret what they said. And mum was so much more comfortable at the end because of his advice.

That’s something I’ll be forever grateful for. So to finally meet him in person & give him a huge hug has been a long time coming! ❤️

Why Connection Is the Name of My Game Now

And that’s what I love about the connected world we live in today.

You can build a friendship that starts with a comment or a message and ends with you flying across a continent to give someone a hug you’ve owed them for years.

You can stay in touch with family as if they’re in the same room, and never really mourn the nest you don’t have. Cerys and I might not be under the same roof anymore, but we’re only ever a video chat away, and our talks are just as daft as they’ve ever been.

And you can jump on a live video call, talk with like-minded people, answer questions, and get to know a whole new set of future friends. And I’ll be doing plenty more of them, because every single one means I get to meet a few more of you.

If there’s one thing these past few weeks have highlighted to me, it’s this. You can leave home, lose the nest altogether, and travel to the far side of the planet, and still end up more connected to the people who matter than you’ve ever been.

That’s the gift of this crazy online nomadic life, and I wouldn’t swap it for anything.

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