A Cheaper Way to See Antarctica : Canadian tour operator to run eight-day cruises from southern Argentina.

One of the world’s final frontiers is going to become more accessible to travelers with budget concerns. This winter, Canadian tour operator Sam Blyth is introducing an Antarctic cruise program that is definitely not cheap, but is considerably less expensive than most other cruise programs to this remote area.

The ship to be used is the MV Northern Ranger, a 96-passenger ice-breaker that spends the summer servicing the ports of Labrador and Newfoundland. Normally, in winter, the ship is docked and the crew is out of work, but this year Blyth has made arrangements with owner Marine Atlantic to try something different.

In December, it begins a southbound journey, arriving in South America by mid-January. It is then scheduled for eight eight-day cruises to the Antarctic, leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina; six of the cruises will include Patagonia, and two will take in the Falkland Islands.

The Northern Ranger is not a luxury ship; it’s for the traveler who would prefer to trade evening cabaret shows for lectures by naturalists. All cabins have private bathrooms, but some of the least expensive four-berth cabins have shared shower facilities. All cabins face outside and have portholes.

Rates for a seven-night Antarctic package cruise aboard the Northern Ranger, plus four to five days in the Buenos Aires-Patagonia region, including air fare from Los Angeles, New York or Miami, range from $2,850 per person for sharing a four-berth cabin to $3,995 per person in a double cabin. It is also possible to join the group in Ushuaia, Argentina, for the cruise only, for $1,500, plus an additional charge of $225 for port taxes.

Travelers can also join the Northern Ranger’s positioning cruises along the Chilean coast to the Galapagos Islands, and through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on its 38-day southbound and northbound journeys. Rates for these trips are $2,850-$3,150, for accommodations in a four-berth cabin; $3,995 for a double cabin.

For more information, contact Blyth & Company Travel, 13 Hazelton Ave., Toronto M5R 2E1, Canada, (800) 387-1387 or (416) 964-2569.

Budget travelers who would like to visit the new $70-million Space Center Houston entertainment and education complex can find low-cost lodgings at the new Space City AYH-Hostel, just five miles away.

Guests at the hostel, which can accommodate up to 18 travelers, have use of kitchen facilities, a common room and a large wooded yard with picnic areas. The hostel is also near a lake with recreational activities, and is 25 miles from historic Galveston Island.

Accommodation for members of Hostelling International is $10.25 per night; nonmembers are charged $13.25.

Hostel staff will provide guests with transportation between the nearest bus stop and the hostel. For more information and reservations, contact Space Center AYH-Hostel, 2242 W. Bay Area Blvd., Friendswood, Tex. 77546, (713) 996-0323.

One of Amsterdam’s better-known, student-style hotels, the Hans Brinker, is getting a face lift. Even when the renovations are complete, you won’t find bellhops, mini-bars or a swimming pool, but you will find rooms with affordable rates.

The building, which was opened as a hotel in the early 1970s, was originally a monastery. It attracts a young crowd because it offers guests the option of sharing rooms at reduced rates, something to which young travelers are more accustomed. The average age of the guests is 21, and the hotel has its own disco and bar, which remain open until 4 a.m.

Because renovation is being done one floor at a time, the hotel is remaining open as work proceeds. It is expected to be completed in March.

Rooms range from singles to multi-beds. A bed in a room shared by six to eight people costs about $24. A bed in a room shared by two is about $34. Rates include an “all-you-can-eat” continental breakfast.

The hotel is within walking distance of two of Amsterdam’s main squares, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. It is just around the corner from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and is close to the Heineken Brewery.

Travelers can reach the hotel from the city’s central station by taking tram number 1, 2, 16, 24 or 25.

For more information and reservations, contact the Hans Brinker Hotel, Kerkstraat 136-138, 1017 GR Amsterdam, telephone 011-31- 20-622-0687, fax 011-31-20- 638-2060.