Here are some tips from the nonprofit United States Tour Operators Association on how to avoid disappointment on your next vacation

• If a telemarketer offers you a vacation deal, never give your credit card number over the phone.
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Seeing the offer on a Web site does not count as getting an offer in writing. A Web site can be easily changed and provides no proof of what the offer was like when you first saw it. (Source: National Fraud Information Center, part of the National Consumer League)
• Before purchasing a vacation, check with a travel agent or other reliable source to be sure that the company you are dealing with is legitimate.
• Find out if the company is a member of an organization with a consumer protection plan, such as USTOA. All USTOA packages are backed by a $1 Million Consumer Protection Plan, which reimburses travelers' deposits and monies paid in the unlikely event of the company's default or bankruptcy. For information, call toll-free 1-800-GO-USTOA (468-7862) or visit www.ustoa.com.
• Know the cancellation clauses in your travel agreements.
• To save money, investigate early booking discounts offered by tour operators.
• If you can't find space on your own at a popular destination, consider a vacation package. Tour operators and travel packagers reserve blocks of space at the most popular destinations well in advance. Best of all, they can often save you up to 40% over booking the same vacation on your own.
• Book airfare when you make your vacation arrangements. Don't play airplane roulette, waiting until the last minute to see what late airline sales occur. This is particularly true if you're traveling to a highly visited area, where flights may be booked well in advance.
• Be realistic: you get what you pay for. Don't expect luxury accommodations at bargain basement prices.

For a free copy of USTOA's "Smart Traveler's Planning Kit," and a listing of USTOA Active Member companies, contact USTOA, 275 Madison Avenue, Suite 2014, New York, NY 10016; Phone: 212-599-6599; or e-mail information@ustoa.com. Information on USTOA member companies as well as the destinations they serve is available on the Internet at www.ustoa.com.