Trip Finder
Chamonix
Information for Enrolled Students

Packing List

We've provided packing recommendations below; however, equivalent items work just fine. We also offer many items for sale via our online store. Keep in mind that June and July can still be cold in the Alps! Warm layers are very important, as evening temperatures can dip down in the low 30s.

Backpack

Internal frame with waist straps; 38-45 liters, MUST be small enough to carry on the plane

Qty: 1
Deuter Unisex 40L Futura, Deuter Women’s 38L Futura Pro

Backpack Cover

100% waterproof backpack cover

Qty: 1

Lightweight Daypack

15-25 liter lightweight, collapsible daypack for town days

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack

Sleeping Bag Liner

Highly recommended. Silk, cotton, or synthetic. Used as a “lightweight sheet” in warm climates in lieu of a sleeping bag. Used when staying in hotels/ hostels as a personal sheet.

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Expander Travel Liner

Hiking Boots

Heavy weight boots with ankle support - Break them in before arrival to avoid blisters!!!

Qty: 1
Vasque Talus, Vasque Breeze, Oboz Sawtooth X Mid, Salomon X Ultra Mid

River Shoes

These can be open-toed, but do need to have a back strap - no flip flops!

Qty: 1
Chaco, Teva, Keen - NO FLIP FLOPS

Socks - lightweight

Non-cotton, lightweight hiking socks

Qty: 5
Darn tough or Smartwool

Socks - medium-weight

Non-cotton, medium-weight hiking socks; warmer socks

Qty: 2
Darn tough or Smartwool

Fleece Pants

Synthetic, non-cotton fleece pants or heavyweight bottoms

Qty: 1
Patagonia Synchilla Fleece Pants, Patagonia R1 pants

Rain Pants

100% Waterproof pants large enough to fit over regular pants

Qty: 1
Mountain Hardware, REI

Long Underwear/Base Layer Bottom

Synthetic, non-cotton medium weight long underwear bottoms

Qty: 1
Patagonia Capilene Lightweight/Midweight bottoms, Marmot Polartec or Baselayer Tights

Quick Dry Shorts

Synthetic, non-cotton shorts

Qty: 3
Patagonia Baggies, Lulu Lemon Speed Up Short, Nike Dryfit

Bathing Suits

Boys: your quick dry shorts can double as a bathing suit

Qty: 2

Underwear

Synthetic, non-cotton are best (but a couple cotton pairs are permitted)

Qty: 8

Fleece Jacket

Synthetic, Non-cotton - This needs to be heavier than the Lightweight Top

Qty: 1
Patagonia Synchilla, Patagonia R2 Jacket, Patagonia Micro D Jacket, Marmot Rocklin Full Zip Jacket

Insulating Jacket

Synthetic or Down insulation, non-cotton. This can be a synthetic or down "puffy" jacket

Qty: 1
Patagonia Nano Puff, Patagonia Down Sweater, North Face Thermoball Jacket, or an additional heavyweight fleece

Rain Jacket with Hood

100% Waterproof Rain Jacket with Hood - NO ponchos!

Qty: 1
Marmot Precip, Patagonia Torrentshell

Long Underwear Top

Medium-weight long-sleeved (polypropylene or Capilene, NOT Cotton)

Qty: 2
Patagonia Capilene Midweight Crew or Zip Neck, North Face Wander Sun Hoodie, SmartWool Merino 150 Base Layer, Marmot Polartec (Baselayer Long-Sleeve Crew)

Sun Hoodie

Lightweight sunshirt with hood to protect arms and neck from sun

Qty: 1
Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody, Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody

Sports Bras

For Girls

Qty: 4

T-Shirts - cotton

For travel days

Qty: 1
Classic Shortsleeve Moondance tee

T-Shirts - synthetic

Synthetic, quick-dry, non-cotton t-shirts

Qty: 5
Patagonia Capilene Cool Shirt, Marmot Windridge, TASC Performance Carrollton Performance Crew

Baseball or Wide-Brimmed Hat

For sun protection

Qty: 1

Warm Hat

Wool or fleece, non-cotton beanie

Qty: 1

Bandana/Buff

For additional sun and wind protection. Buffs are tube-like and can be worn up to 12 different ways providing versatile sun protection. Can even be worn as a headband!

Qty: 1
Moondance Buff

Gloves

Wool or fleece, waterproof, non-cotton medium weight gloves

Qty: 1
Gor-tex ski gloves work great for this!

Headlamp

With Fresh Batteries + 2 Sets of Spare Batteries; This is very important!

Qty: 1
Black Diamond Spot, Black Diamond Storm, Black Diamond Astro

Bowl with Lid

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Delta Bowl with Lid, Tupperware, Nalgene

Plastic Spork OR Spoon & Fork, + Plastic Knife

Qty: 1
Light My Fire Spork, Sea to Summit

Stuff Sack

Nylon or mesh stuff sack (sleeping bag size) for dirty clothes, etc.

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Stuff Sack, Sea to Summit Mesh Sack

Sunglasses

With 100% UV Protection

Qty: 1
Goodr, Smith, Oakley, Sunski

Sunglasses Holder

Qty: 1
Croakies or Chums

Water Bottles

32oz Water Bottles

Qty: 2
Nalgene 32oz Wide Mouth Water Bottle

Dopp Kit

Contains: toothbrush, toothpaste, travel shampoo & soap, deodorant, sunscreen

Qty: 1
Patagonia Black Hole Cube 6L-M

Small First Aid Kit

Contains: Insect repellent, waterproof sunscreen, Band-aids, Moleskin, Chapstick w/ sun prevention, Wet Ones wipes, Dramamine (if prone to motion sickness), personal hand sanitizer.

Qty: 1

Reef-Safe, Non-Spray Sunscreen

Travel Size

Qty: 2
Reef safe waterproof sunscreen (Kokua, Thinksport, Stream2Sea)

Prescription Glasses + Contacts

If your child wears glasses and/or contacts, please bring at least one spare pair of glasses/ lenses. Contact lens wearers should bring a pair of glasses as backup in addition to contacts.

Qty: 2

Blister Pill Pack or PillBox

The best way to send medication is with PillPacks by Amazon or a Pill Box.

Qty: As needed
Consider https://pharmacy.amazon.com/pillpack

Personal + Travel Medications

Please bring any personal medications and travel medications as advised by your Physician.

Qty: As needed

Carabiner

Non-plastic

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Large Accessory Carabiners

Pack Towel

Absorbent & quick to dry, large or extra-large works best

Qty: 1
Sea to Summit Drylite Towel

Whistle

Small, pea-less plastic will do; most backpacks/daypacks have whistles on their sternum strap which would suffice!

Qty: 1

Wallet

Personal wallet with $250 spending money and valid identification; be mindful of international exchange and certain credit card restrictions

Bank card or credit card; NO cash

International Travel Authorization

Original signed and notarized international travel authorization form; N/A for students 18 at the start of the trip

Qty: 1

Passport + Copies

Passport (valid for 6 months after the last day of your trip) + 2 additional photocopies of your passport

Qty: 1 + 2 copies

A Good Book

Paperback books are less bulky; NO kindles or e-readers

Notebook with Pen

For journaling

Backpacker's Pillow

HIGHLY recommend; a luxury to have while camping or on travel days

Qty: 1
Therm-a-rest Compressible Pillow

Camp Chair

HIGHLY Recommend; Packable chair for camping

Qty: 1
Crazy Creek

Casual Clothing

One (1) set to wear for Town Day

Qty: 1

Hydration System

Highly recommended

Qty: 1
CamelBak

Running Shoes

An old pair of running/tennis shoes/sneakers, not to be hiked in, able to get dirty

Qty: 1

Camera

With charger, extra battery, and 32-64 GB memory card

Qty: 1
Canon Powershot G9 X

GoPro

With charger, extra battery, and 32-64 GB memory card

Qty: 1

External Charger

Portable charger/power bank to charge camera and GoPro

Qty: 1

International Adapter

Country-specific power adapter for charging cameras

Qty: 1

Packing Tips

We encourage parents and students to check the local weather the weeks and days leading up to departure for their trip. For some locations, weather can vary significantly between early June and late July, and students going on a later session of a trip may not need an extra layer.

 

In the event that your luggage is delayed or lost in transit, we want you to be prepared. Therefore, wear tennis or hiking shoes on the plane. Plus, pack the following items from this packing list in your daypack / school backpack carry-on:

  • A change of clothes (underwear + t-shirt + shorts or pants)
  • Your rain jacket
  • Prescription medications & toothbrush
  • Passport, ID, money
  • Completed International Travel Authorization form

These items are already included in the packing list – they are not additional items!

Lodging

Sleeping

During your trip you will stay in a variety of accommodations: Hotels (in the more metropolitan areas) and unique, primitive mountain hostels (refuges)


Eating

Please bring all personal eating utensils/gear listed on the packing list. Moondance and the accommodations will provide all group cooking gear.

If you have any special dietary restrictions/ considerations, please contact the Moondance office for further information.

Immunizations

Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis

Required; must be within 10 years of the trip

Routine Vaccinations

Moondance adheres to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. They state that routine vaccines are those recommended for everyone in the United States, depending on age and vaccine history. Please consult with a physician for specific recommendations based on your health history and continuously check the CDC website for updates.

Routine vaccinations related to travel may include the following:

  • COVID-19
  • Chickenpox (Varicella)
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Influenza
  • Measles, mumps, Rubella
  • Meningococcal
  • Pneumococcal
  • Polio
  • Rotavirus
  • Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis

Rabies

The Centers for Disease Control recommends a pre-exposure rabies vaccination before your trip because rabid dogs are commonly found in this country.  There may be limited or no rabies treatment available. We will encounter dogs and wildlife especially as we travel to rural areas.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis

The CDC recommends you consider a Tick-Borne Encephalitis vaccine for persons who will have extensive exposure to ticks based on their planned outdoor activities and itinerary, especially if ticks are likely to be found in those areas.

Check the map tab on this page to view a map of where Moondance groups will be traveling throughout Europe. Provide this information to your physician of choice (primary care physician, travel clinic, etc.) in order to get the most accurate suggestions for immunizations and vaccinations.

Click on the country name to see what the CDC recommends for travelers in:

Flight Options

Chamonix 1, June 3 - June 25, 2025

Chamonix 2, June 9 - July 1, 2025

Chamonix 3, June 27 - July 19, 2025

Chamonix 4, July 3- July 25, 2025

Additional Information

Book Travel with our Partner Agency

We recommend you book with our partner travel agency (Corporate Traveler) for this trip. Please complete this form, and they will be in touch in 3-5 days via email with flight options.

Phone: 617.720.3050
Email: christianna.hoffman@corporatetraveler.us

Map