P is also for Personal agent

Travel now being a couture science, the A-list among us need someone to edit the world with discretion.

Which is why Jade Jagger and Bella Freud, among others, guard the number for Earth so closely.

Earth is a private travel agency catering to a limited number of high-end clients largely hailing from the world of fashion, music and film.

The company, founded in 1989, is headed by Glen Donovan. Assisting him are Dennis Wilde, Alice Daunt (impeccable on North Africa) and Jude Bower.

Their personal knowledge of the properties they recommend is among the best in the business. From a private house in Marrakech to foot-in-the-sand Balinese villas, Earth distinguishes itself by not equating money spent with top-flight holiday - despite a bill for one client coming in at £168,000 for a recent ten-day booking.

A-Z travel guide for 2002