Don't put off a long-awaited trip to Europe because you're intimidated by the dollar's weak showing against the euro. The key to a rewarding budget-oriented travel experience is to plan well in advance to profit from cost-saving strategies.

There are certain countries in Europe where your money will buy more for relatively less. Although prices are climbing, these include Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey. All offer temperate climes (even in the winter off-season), breathtaking scenery, ancient manmade wonders, toothsome cookery, charming hostelries and fascinating cultures. Although generally ranked among the second tier of European tourist destinations, lodgings and meals in these countries can cost 25 to 40 percent less than in Scandinavia, France, Germany and Britain, for example.

Another money saver is to prepay much of your trip to take advantage of incentive prices for early bookings and for special deals that must be purchased before you depart. Ask your travel agent now to research the consolidator and advance-purchase airfares that will provide the best value. Most European countries offer passes at irresistible prices for rail, bus and ferry travel; for museum and historic building admissions; for local transport; and even for low-cost hotels and meals. Foreign tourism offices based in the U.S. will be happy to send you booklets and brochures on the "how-tos" of cost-conscious travel within their domains.

Airlines and car rental companies often join forces to offer fly-drive programs that make good fiscal and logistical sense. Look into combination air packages that might include lodgings, rail passes, sightseeing admissions and other amenities and extras. Again, use your agent's expertise.

AVOID DELUXE

If you're serious about saving, travel as the Europeans do: avoid luxury hotels and three-star restaurants. Stay instead in comfortable tourist-class lodgings around the corner from expensive boulevards. With the right preparation, you can spend the night in inns, B&Bs and small independent hotels that possess all the atmosphere and charm you could desire. Set your upper limit at a sensible $200 per room for two people, including en-suite bathroom and breakfast. If you can manage with a bathroom down the hall, count on spending $100 or so per room. Several tourist boards in the U.S. sell go-as-you-please vouchers that allow you to pick from scores of recommended lodgings at prices that range upward from about $50 per person per night, even in big cities.

When your thoughts turn to food, think "fixed-price" or "set menu." Menus are required to be posted outside nearly all European restaurants, and thousands of these establishments offer a special multicourse meal at a relatively reasonable price. If you aren't presented this menu in print, ask your waiter to produce it. You should look also for particular emblems on restaurant windows that indicate special, inexpensive tourist menus are served.

It's hard to be served a really rotten meal in Europe, so check out the little cafes, bistros and trattorias that appear to be patronized by locals. In Greece, you can sit down to a magnificent meal for under $20, and even in the pricey Netherlands a three-course tourist menu can cost less than $25. One can indeed dine like a prince on a modest pocketbook.

BUNDLE DEALS

If you're a first-time traveler to Europe, consider stretching your dollars farther by joining a comprehensive tour. By "bundling" the air carriage, lodging, meals and sightseeing provided through an inclusive group program, you'll be introduced to the marvels of Britain and the Continent without the hassles inherent in independent travel.

European tours with big value for little money are the main order of business for: