what are some ways to get cheap vacation deals. are there any tips someone can give me?

All your research can be done on-line.
Book directly with the airlines for air. Find out what airlines serve the airport by where you live. For instance, I live in NY, and get direct flights to the Caribbean on American and Jet Blue. But if I lived in NJ, I would fly Continental. If you live by Atlanta, fly Delta. Dallas/Ft. Worth, American. If you can leave from a hub, you can usually save money. There are many hotel search engines. Travelocity, Expedia, etc…I find that you are more likely to get a better deal directly from the Hotel. You know, book 4 nights, get one free sort of thing. Rarely do you get deals like that from Orbitz, or Hotels.com I booked from Hotels.com for a place in Waikiki, Hawaii. It looked great on the web-site, but the info was’nt current and when I got there, the jacuzzi was closed, and all the flowers were dead. Furthermore, I later learned that the building was partially owned privately. In other words, the upper floors, the units were individually owned. The only thing 3 star about that place was the lobby. Morale of the story.. cross-reference. Those hotel engines can still be used for info. Just don’t book w/ them. Know the difference between ocean view and ocean front. If it’s ocean front, call and ask how close the water is. Ocean view can still mean a 15 min. walk. Also check for “hidden charges” when you check out. Many times they don’t show up front charges for housekeeping, towels, and movie channels. Yo – check out tripadvisor.com Very useful site. Get unbiased reviews from people like you and I. Remember knowledge is power. and one more thing, petergreenberg.com. He’s that travel detective guy. Everything you need to know is right there. That site also has links for reputable trip insurance companies.