Some places are perfect for the independent traveler. And some, well, aren't. For our series "Iconic Itineraries," we've picked destinations that are must-sees but whose tourism infrastructures are so geared to groups that having an authentic experience can seem next to impossible. Not to worry. Working with the world's leading travel specialists, we've created step-by-step trips that let you see the best each place has to offer—but on your terms. Each of our highly detailed itineraries has been vetted and perfected by a Condé Nast Traveler editor, and each can be bought as is with just one phone call or customized at will. So here are:

The Problem
So you want to go to Southeast Asia. Great! But so does everyone else. And that's the trouble: 55 million travelers descend upon the region annually, from backpackers to jet-setters. Problem number one, then, is when to go to avoid the crowds…but still find yourself in bearable humidity. Problem number two is what to see, since you could pick any country in this fecund region and find yourself entertained for weeks or months. Problem number three is how to see it: Do you go with a group tour and end up being yanked from site to site as part of an unwieldy, unyielding block of people, with little time to linger and almost no privacy? Or do you brave it on your own, throwing in your lot with the backpackers and taking your chances as you go?

The Solution
The answer to all of these questions is…book a private tour. Yes, it's more expensive, but when you're navigating such a diverse and time-consuming region, the advice you'll get from a knowledgeable travel specialist will soon prove priceless. For help, I contacted Sandy Ferguson of AsiaDesk (see "Top Travel Specialists," August 2007), who not only constructed a customized itinerary but patiently worked with me to accommodate my particularities and specific requests. Want a romantic dinner for two in Ho Chi Minh City? To participate in a pre-sunrise ritual with the monks in Siem Reap? A private audience with Ho Chi Minh's embalmed corpse in Hanoi? Ferguson, who grew up in Thailand and maintains a residence in Vietnam, can arrange all of these, and much quirkier assignments, too. He also has the last word on when to go: Although Thanksgiving through Easter is the area's official high season, Ferguson recommends traveling in the slightly less crowded months of April and May (if you can stand the heat). He advises skipping the region in March (when the fields are burning and the air is thick with smoke) and early April (when the New Year is celebrated in Thailand and Laos). Here is the itinerary Ferguson and I designed, which covers the highlights of the region's big four—Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia—and can be altered to suit any traveler's whims or idiosyncrasies.

Day 1: Bangkok
It's 8 a.m. and you're sitting riverside at the Oriental Bangkok hotel (66-2-659-9000; mandarinoriental.com; doubles, $390–$460) in the not-yet-soupy heat, eating a plate of pad thai and watching the longboats cut slowly through the water. In an hour you'll be meeting your guide in the orchid-bedecked lobby for a day that will give you a sense of the city's soul, the depth of spirituality that lies beneath its surface flash and sparkle. Hard to believe that only 15 hours ago you were being escorted from Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport and driven a half-hour to your hotel before collapsing.