But while original importers - many of whom are still going strong - found success by simply

But while original importers - many of whom are still going strong - found success by simply opening up exotic markets, the second wave of wanderers must cater to a more refined British shopper if they want to make a living by selling the fruits of their travels. The appetite for eclectic decoration has never been keener, but it's also more sophisticated. Kaye admits she was "flippant" when she first started to buy pieces in India, for her own home, three years ago. She took time out from a research job to travel with her boyfriend: they bought an old army ambulance Land Rover for pounds 1,000, and began the trek, driving through the Middle East and on to China.After nine months, they got to India, and began to collect "bits and bobs" for their flat back home. But 200 pieces later, they realised it was all too bulky to carry around.

At the same time, they realised that if they liked the beautifully carved, unusual antique pieces which they found in India, so would the folks back in the UK. So they filled the Land Rover, drove it to a port, and sent it back by sea container. When they arrived back in England, they moved the contents to a barn in the Cotswolds, with the intention of selling some of the furniture and knick- knacks they had bought. Their hunch paid off: they hired a local town hall, put on a sale, and sold the lot "We couldn't believe it: we sold out in three days We thought, this is a really good idea. Let's go back for more." This time, they bought 1,000 pieces.The key to unearthing the best bargains, she has found, is to pay attention to personal relationships.

Exporting colonial furniture mainly from the south, Kaye has begun to learn Malayalam and to create networks of buyers "I get invited to weddings: everybody knows me They have become friends. That side of India is very much the side I am in love with." But sometimes, she says, it's necessary to be frank: "A lot of it I'm not interested in. I know instantly the stuff I want to sell."George Bristow, who has exported furniture and antiques from central Asia for the past 25 years, says the line between friendship and business is fine "You become an integral part of other people's families. All the people I deal with, I've seen grow up from being young kids When they have a catastrophe, they look to you. You have to be careful you don't become a one-man international aid agency - but it's inevitable. They are close friends."His shop in Tetbury, near Gloucester, offers textiles, metalware, furniture and jewellery from countries as diverse as Indonesia and Uzbekistan.