When you’re packing your bags to jet off on your next vacation or work trip, don’t forget to pack your mushrooms.
No, not those kinds of mushrooms; functional mushrooms!
Functional mushrooms are defined as mushrooms that are celebrated for health benefits above and beyond their nutritional value. The most popular functional mushrooms on the market are Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi, Turkey Tail and Chaga. Each mushroom is targeted towards a specific set of functions in the body while supporting overall health; Lion’s Mane has over 4,000 years of historical use in Traditional Chinese Medicine in addition to modern clinical validation as a cognitive performance enhancer and brain health supplement while Cordyceps are valued for their energizing qualities and ability to increase oxygen flow in the body. Reishi is prized for its role in rest and recovery and to improve sleep while easing anxiety. Chaga is known as ‘King of the Forest’ in traditional eastern european and siberian cultures, and has been found to lower cholesterol levels while supporting the immune system. Turkey Tail is venerated for its anti-cancer properties, and even has one of its active compounds (PSK) even clinically approved as a cancer treatment in Japan.
Turkey Tail Mushrooms/ Photo by Peter Stevens from Seattle, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
You may have noticed that they’re popping up all over the place; numerous prestigious international press outlets named functional mushrooms as one of the top wellness trends of 2025, and major global brands like PepsiCo and Nestle are actively incorporating functional mushrooms into their product lines.
As much as we don’t want to talk about it, traveling generally invites all kinds of undesirable challenges to one’s health and vitality along with all of the fun in the sun and exotic delights.
If you travel overseas, jet-lag is inevitable. You’ve got 9 days to explore the historic charms and cultural delights of Prague and Budapest? Make that 7.
Thinking of channeling your inner Anthony Bourdain and jumping on that jerk chicken from the roadside stand outside of Negril? Roll the dice, but think twice. How many people have spent the lion’s mane mushroom share of a trip or two hugging the porcelain goddess or (the hole in the ground in certain parts of the world) or staring at the dysfunctional ceiling fan as you sweat through the paper thin bed sheet in a dark room in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, praying the fan doesn’t sever ties with it’s fraying electrical cord and come plummeting down upon you in your fitful bouts of fever dreaming?
Dennis Walker and his wife, Becca, in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Even heading up the 405 freeway for a weekend getaway in Los Angeles poses challenges to one’s health; the smog in the air can be devastating, and I can’t be alone in wanting to vomit every time I get sucked into an endless stream of tail lights in the area’s notorious rush hour traffic – which apparently is every hour of the day in LA.
As the host of Mycopreneur Podcast and an emcee at numerous international mushroom events, I find myself traveling all over the place with an often hectic schedule. Ever navigate logistics for back to back jaunts from Mexico City to Austin to Buenos Aires to Austin to Denver?
The coast of Borneo/ Photo Credit © CEphoto, we Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Last year I traveled by boat, mototaxi, plane and train from an island off the coast of Borneo to a keynote speaking engagement at the University of Exeter in Devonshire, England, then to Bangkok via Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. That all happened in the span of one week.
When you’re being paid to bring the energy and hold an event together, you need to show up feeling and acting 110% energetically and mentally. One time in Miami I had a 10 am panel I was moderating at a psychedelics and longevity conference; we crushed the panel and went out for micheladas and tacos in South Beach afterwards.
By 1 pm, I had an interview with a biotech company since I was ostensibly fulfilling a dual role as speaker and media at the event. By 5 pm, I had a pop in gig as a stand up comedian at the VIP Happy Hour for a characteristically Miami mix of hustlers, washed up reality television stars, ex-escorts turned luxury real estate agents and the odd Ultra High Net Worth individual in a stunning tropical garden.
I ran out of the set (which I bombed thanks to the mix of a bad audio setup and a combination of unnamed tryptamines – was the buzz from the house PA or was that an internal issue on my end?) jumped in an Uber and made it to my headlining set at a renowned Miami arts and culture venue before partying until 4 am and jumping on an international flight a few hours later.
So how does one stay in the good graces of health and vitality when faced with the prospects of long-haul flights, unfamiliar environmental pressures, foreign foods and questionable public water infrastructure?
Functional Mushrooms. A lot of them. Tinctures, capsules, chocolates, coffee, tea, and everything in between, infused with potent legal medicinal mushroom extracts.
I bring Mycroboost mushroom coffee with me wherever I travel. First of all, coffee isn’t a forte in many parts of the world. Even if they cultivate world class coffee beans in the highlands of Guatemala, more often than not you’ll be drinking instant coffee believe it or not. Cafes in Budapest don’t open until 7 am or so; you’re wide awake at 4:15 and ready to blast through some emails or journal the first leg of your journey. Last year I sailed from the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama to Cartagena, Colombia for my 35th birthday and the ship was down to pirate rations of a few dried pellets of folgers. At least half the ship was seasick, and the other half was drinking sub-par instant coffee. I was happy as a clam throwing back Mycroboost mushroom coffee and never got a lick of sick the entire 72 hours at sea.
Mushroom chocolate hits the spot no matter where on the planet you are. That’s why I always travel with Mycoday functional mushroom chocolate. Made with (75%) cacao, (dosage) of Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga, and coconut sugar, this divine and expertly crafted artisanal chocolate is both a treat and a treatment for the jet-lag blues. I generally take a 4 pack of mushroom chocolate with me wherever I go; a couple squares in the morning and a couple in the evening help keep my immune system fortified against the omnipresent threat of Bali belly or Montezuma’s Revenge.
Mushroom extracts allow for maximum absorption of active compounds in the mushrooms into the body without needing to eat pounds and pounds of the mushrooms themselves; Real Mushrooms make some of the most potent and expertly crafted mushroom extracts in the world, and in particular I value their Reishi and Tremella mushroom extracts. Tremella is a lesser known medicinal mushroom in the west, but it’s hugely popular in the mycophilic (mushroom loving) cultures across Asia for good reason. Tremella has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A teaspoon of Reishi or Tremella at various points throughout the day helps lubricate my cerebral hardware and keep me on my toes mentally.
The days of simply taking a multivitamin and steering clear of seafood in the mountains as a bulwark against the health stressors of travel are behind us; we have previously largely unavailable options at our disposal, and it would be wise to lean into them. Traveling is one of the greatest leisure and business activities one can hope to engage with during our time on this planet. Some people even travel for ‘Bleisure’ – yes, it’s a real thing. But anyone can agree that once you’ve been sick on the road – and I mean truly, abominably affected – that stacking the deck in your favor with an ounce or two of prevention is a necessary action.
So before you jump on that Airbus A320 or embark on the Carnival Panorama floating resort with the family – make sure to pack your mushrooms.
Dennis Walker is a global mushroom industry consultant and avid traveler. He is the founder of Mycopreneur, a platform dedicated to advancing the mushroom entrepreneurial ecosystem. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone. Forbes, Wired, Vice, High Times, and many other outlets. He is also the founder of Mycoday mushroom chocolate, an adaptogenic mushroom chocolate brand.
