FROM LOS ANGELES
Option 1 (All Nippon Airways):
All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight 5 departs Los Angeles (LAX) at 12:55pm and arrives the next day at Tokyo (NRT) at 4:20pm. From here, transfer to ANA flight 915, which departs Tokyo at 6:10pm to arrive in Bangkok at 10:50pm. On the return, ANA flight 954 departs Bangkok at 8:15am and arrives in Tokyo at 4:20pm. Transfer here to flight 6, which departs from Tokyo at 5:05pm to arrive in Los Angeles at 11:10am that day.

Option 2: Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines (NA) flight 1 leaves Los Angeles (LAX) at 1pm and arrives in Tokyo (NRT) the next day at 4:45pm. From here, connect to flight 27, which departs Tokyo at 7:05pm and arrives in Bangkok at 11:59pm. Flight 29 leaves Bangkok at 6:00am and arrives in Tokyo at 2:30pm. Flight 2 departs Tokyo at 3:45pm and arrives in Los Angeles at 9:20am.

Option 3: American Airlines
American Airlines (AA) flight 169 departs Los Angeles (LAX) at 12:20pm and arrives in Tokyo (NRT) the next day at 4:15pm. From here, take flight 5834, which departs Tokyo at 6:50pm and arrives in Bangkok at 11:25pm. The return flight, 6102, departs Bangkok at 6:40pm and arrives in Hong Kong (HKG) at 10:35pm. From here, you'll take flight 6120, which departs Hong Kong at 11:35pm and arrives in Los Angeles at 9:50pm that evening.

Option 4: United Airlines
United Airlines (UA) flight 891 departs Los Angeles at 12:37pm and arrives in Tokyo (NRT) at 3:55pm the following day. From here, you'll take flight 837, which departs Tokyo at 6:30pm to arrive in Bangkok at 11:10pm. The return flight, 838, departs Bangkok at 6:50 am and arrives in Tokyo at 3:00pm. From here, take flight 890, which departs Tokyo at 4:55pm to land in Los Angeles at 10:52am the same day.

P is for Packing: There's no way around it: Southeast Asia is hot, sometimes damn hot. As you travel through the region, you will find yourself categorizing the various kinds of heat you encounter: Bangkok, for example, is airless and ovenlike, but Luang Prabang is damp, its humidity softened by a light breeze. Bring plenty of lightweight cotton T-shirts and pants (you'll need long pants when walking up to the elephant camp in Luang Prabang) and sturdy, comfortable, rubber-soled shoes. Make sure, though, that your shoes are easy to take off and put on: you'll be removing them at temples. You'll also want to bring one all-white, or mostly white, outfit—the abbot at the temple in Siem Reap specifically requests his visitors wear white. Finally, you will be glad for sunscreen (the sun can be brutal) and a lightweight cap, both of which are essential in protecting yourself from the relentless and occassionally oppressive sun.

T is for Tips: Although tipping is customary in these countries, there won't be the sort of palm-out expectancy for it that you'd find in, say, India. Bring plenty of dollar bills (for porters, bellhops, etc.), and plan on tipping your guides about $20 per day—they'll give some of it to the driver. Of course, if your guide has gone above and beyond—as Nikki, my wonderful guide in Chiang Mai did, helping me book new tickets to Luang Prabang when I realized I didn't have them—a more generous honorarium is recommended.

V is for Visas: You'll need visas to get into all four of these countries, and unless you enjoy waiting in line at your nearest embassy, I recommend you have them all arranged by an expediter like Travel Document Systems (traveldocs.com). You can, and should, acquire your Laos visa once you land in Luang Prabang (see main piece for details).

W is for Water: It's easy, when you're surrounded by great bodies of fast-moving water, to fool yourself into thinking the tap water here is benign, even delicious; in Luang Prabang, I had to keep myself from drinking directly from Kuang Si Waterfall's frothy churn. Hard as it may be to resist, though, you would be well advised to stick to bottled water, which your hotels will provide. I did, however, eat all sorts of (peelable) fruits and fresh-washed vegetables from the market (as well as a handful of fried beetles, which tasted of oil and slightly stale seafood) without suffering any consequences.