TOWIE star Lydia Bright has detailed her 13-hour holiday journey from hell as she jetted off to Africa to ring in the New Year – and she still has no luggage
13:38, 31 Dec 2025Updated 13:39, 31 Dec 2025
Lydia Bright has detailed her ‘worst travel journey ever’ as she jetted off for NYE(Image: Getty Images)
Lydia Bright has revealed her holiday hell as she jetted off with her family to Tanzania to celebrate New Year. The 34-year-old former The Only Way Is Essex star shared how they’d experienced flight delays and airport chaos, before an airline lost their luggage which led to them missing the transfer to their hotel when they finally arrived at their destination.
To top it off, she said her sister Romana – who goes by the name Roma – also had her cash stolen at some point during the journey and they were “currently trying to work out next steps as nobody is contacting us”.
Taking to her Instagram stories, Lydia seemed excited as she posted snaps on the plane with sister Roma and pal Lucy Burgess as they posed in face masks as they held glasses of red wine. “We out of here. Collagen masks and wine. The New Year prep has begun 35,000 feet in the air,” she wrote over the top.
But ’13 hours of hell’ later it was a different story for the reality star, who is a single mum to five-year-old daughter Loretta Rose. Posting pics of the exhausted kids asleep in the car the other end, she said: “13 hours of flying and one hell of a journey.”
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Lydia Bright has shared her holiday hell getting to Tanzania for NYE(Image: Instagram )
They dealt with lost luggage, missed transfers and stolen cash (Image: Instagram )
Lydia then went on to detail exactly what had happened as she pleaded with Qatar Airways to get back to them about their lost luggage and more.
She wrote: “Our first flight was delayed, which meant sprinting through Doha to reach our next gate. Despite repeatedly asking, no buggies were arranged to help us between gates.
“By the time we arrived at the gate, my mum and dad were sweating and poor Retta [her daughter Loretta] was struggling to breathe and we were frantically trying to find her an asthma pump.
“When we eventually landed in Tanzania, we discovered our suitcases had been left behind in Doha. No one had informed us so we waited at the baggage belt for hours, only to then miss our hotel transfer.”
Lydia said the family didn’t even have SPF in 28-degree heat (Image: Instagram )
But a few drinks later Lydia was looking on the bright side ahead of NYE(Image: Instagram )
Things then went from bad to worse as Lydia explained: “With no clothes, toiletries or guidance we ended up travelling around the island trying to find essentials, clearly going to all the wrong places, as we’re now all still in tracksuits and trainers in 28-degree heat.
“To top it all off, poor Roma had all her money stolen. Currently trying to work out next steps as nobody is contacting us.”
Pleading for help, Lydia added: “I would never normally post this but I am getting no clear response from @qatarairways when calling and nobody is replying to any DMs. DO BETTER. Easily the worst travel journey we’ve ever had…. things can only get better from here.”
In another pic, Lydia posted a photo of her feet in Dior sandals and in a reference to her lost luggage joked: “When Qatar lose your suitcase… the collab you never knew you needed. Dior and Louis Vuitton – and yes my legs are already burnt still trying to find SPF.”
Showing things were slightly on the up, Lydia posed in a locally bought football shirt with a cocktail in hand as she said: “My current NYE look. I’m sure my stylist would approve of this look. My name’s Lydia and this isn’t my first drink.”
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