Off to Europe : A Bike-and-Hostel Package in the Netherlands : On another trip, you’ll help crew a sailing vessel on the Dutch inland sea.

Independent travelers heading to the Netherlands are being offered good deals on both tour and do-it-yourself packages by a travel service created by the Youth Hostel Assn. of the Netherlands. Packages offered in 1993 include cycling, sailing on traditional ships, and mini-holidays in hostels and hotels in Amsterdam.

The packages are organized by Future Line Travel, a travel service founded by the Youth Hostel Assn. in 1988, but which now operates independently.

One of the most popular programs is a package that combines vouchers for youth hostel accommodations with a bike that travelers can keep. In past years, you could choose between a mountain bike or a standard “Dutch grandmother” bike. This year, a third option has been added: a folding bike, which fits more easily into a car.

Each package includes the bicycle (male or female model), vouchers for seven nights at Dutch youth hostels (including breakfast), a road map of the Netherlands, a double pannier bag (to carry clothes, etc.), a tire repair kit and a temporary youth hostel membership card, valid only for use in the Netherlands.

The cost is about $360 if you choose a 12-speed mountain bike, $350 for a Dutch grandmother’s bike with pedal brake, and $310 for a folding bike.

You can start the packages any day between March 15 and Oct. 15. Your bike will be waiting at the youth hostel in Heemskerk, about 20 miles northwest of Amsterdam.

The vouchers can be used at any of the 40 youth hostels in the Netherlands until Dec. 31. There are no age restrictions for staying at the hostels. However, accommodations are usually in same-sex, shared rooms. Hostels offer economical meals, or facilities for preparing your own.

If you are not keen on using the shared accommodations in youth hostels, or with carrying your belongings while cycling, Future Travel is also offering do-it-yourself bike-tour packages that include hotel accommodations and luggage transfers.

The programs are designed so that travelers cover about 40-45 miles per day. The package rates include seven nights’ accommodations in a double room with shower, toilet, television and telephone; dinner and breakfast; a welcome drink; route description; bicycle and luggage transportation. The price is about $421 per person, double occupancy. You can begin any Saturday between May 15 and Aug. 28.

Meanwhile, many of the traditional sailing ships that were once used for moving cargo on the Waddenzee, an inland sea in the northern end of the Netherlands, have been converted for private or tourism use. This summer, there will be weekly departures for seven-night journeys for independent travelers.

The ships carry 12-22 passengers, plus a skipper cook and shipmate. The passengers give a hand on deck and assist with meals. There are separate sailing dates for travelers age 16-35, an “open age” category, and one for families.

Trips for travelers 16-35 sail every Monday, June 28 to Aug. 30, from the northern port city of Harlingen. Families (and all ages) depart Mondays between July 12 and Aug. 23 from Enkhuizen, another northern port about 25 miles north of Amsterdam. The price is about $260 per person. Each cabin has two to six berths. As often as possible, families are given their own private cabin.

Also available through Future Travel this summer are packages for short stays in Amsterdam, and holidays that combine youth hostel accommodations and parachuting, boardsailing and sailing courses.

The Amsterdam Mini Breaks include a three-day ticket for public transportation, a ticket valid for entrance to many of the main museums in Amsterdam, a canal cruise and three nights’ accommodations at a centrally located youth hostel (in a multi-bed room), or accommodations at a three-star hotel.

The package price if you use the youth hostel accommodations is about $110 per person. If you want the hotel, it costs about $185 per person in a double room. Travelers should keep in mind that many of the museums in Amsterdam are closed on Mondays.

For more information on any of these packages, contact Future Line Travel, Prof. Tulpstraat 2, NL-1018 HA Amsterdam, from U.S. phones 011-31-20-622-28-59, fax 011-31-20-639-0199.

For general information on travel in the Netherlands, contact the Netherlands Board of Tourism, 9841 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles 90045, (310) 348-9333.