Cyndi Loza

Reno high school students who recently traveled abroad said they were shocked to find how little the U.S. dollar was worth overseas.

“The dollar is terrible,” said Sage Ridge School Upper School head Gaye Nickles, who paid the equivalent of $38 for fish and chips. “The British nationals that we met felt sorry for us. Sometimes they were kind of embarrassed.”

Sage Ridge School students, parents and faculty were frugal with their money as they toured London, England earlier this month.

During their weeklong visit abroad, the group of about 30 spent their U.S. dollars cautiously because they said it didn’t measure up to the pound.

“We’re all pretty world-wise and we knew the cost of the dollar,” said Sage Ridge senior Adam Peterson, “so we expected going in that we would have much lighter wallets going back.”

Peterson said he spent most of his trip eating $3 sandwiches or baguettes. The trip cost each student about $3,300 and Peterson said he spent about $400 on extra trip expenses.

Other than a $100 sword, he said he did not buy any souvenirs.

“Don’t plan to go to London and go on a shopping spree,” Peterson said.

McQueen High School German teacher Chris Case said he doesn’t plan to take his students aboard in the future but he would not let the weak dollar interrupt any plans.

“I don’t think the dollar losing value would influence the students or my motivation in going to Europe,” said Case, who chaperoned a McQueen trip to Austria in 2005. “Most Americans see a trip to Europe as being an expensive trip regardless.”

The Washoe County School District does not sponsor school trips abroad.

If other schools plan to take a trip abroad, Sage Ridge senior Sarah Katz, 17, said they should “expect that the dollar is going to be much lower and try to budget your money.”