The economy is bad and you are already hesitant to go away on vacation, yet you know the hazards of not taking that much needed time off. You book your trip, pay your deposit, hop on a flight, and your nightmare begins!

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, consumers are defrauded out of millions of dollars every month by travel and vacation scams. These scams are usually characterized by unrealistic low prices or free or exclusive offers.

Scam-artists have many methods and techniques for depriving you of your hard earned money, but by becoming informed about how these scam-artists operate you can learn to identify when you may be getting set up and protect yourself. Here are three tips to help get you started.

Tip #1 – Be aware of the buzzwords associated with travel and vacation scams. Offers filled with buzzwords such as free, guaranteed, you're eligible to win, vacation offer, you've just won, something for nothing, last chance, today only, and so on. Don't be seduced by the words, any offer that is good, valid and mutually beneficial doesn't need to seduce the consumer. A good offer only requires an explanation of how it works and why it is mutually beneficial.

Tip #2 – Arrange your vacation trips through local, established businesses. As I said earlier, legitimate companies do provide discount vacation packages (as a result of a competitive market) and may very well offer a free vacation after so many bookings. The best way to avoid travel and vacation scams altogether is to seek out these companies rather than dealing with companies that seek out you (and your wallet).

Tip #3 – Get it in writing. The best way to verify the offer and your subsequent arrangements is to have the details in writing with the cancellation and refund policies of the company.

So long as you keep these three simple tips in mind you should have a fun and happy vacation. Enjoy your vacation and spend the time with your family and your friends and make sure that you get your well deserved break from work. Enjoy!