Short-term travel has become a significant component of work for many academics. This brings about new challenges for the individual academic, academic institutions, but also society more generally. Regular short-term travel is bound to have an impact on the work-life balance of the traveller and his or her family, while the high environmental costs and possible gender/social inequality associated with this mobility raise questions about the value and necessity of the practice. There is however still a surprising void when it comes to research examining the role, function and necessity of short-term academic travel. This dissertation helps filling this gap by exploring academic travel mainly as a social practice. By drawing on the recent mobilities turn in the social sciences, an understanding of the main motivations and obligations to travel is offered in light of the nature of contemporary academic work and careers. Moreover, by engaging in mixed methods research at Ghent University, some of the issues with respect to work-life balance and the gendered aspect of travel are addressed. The focus is on academic travel in a Flemish context (Belgium), which is currently characterised by an internationalising higher education system, which has in turn acted as a catalyst for academic travel. Such an exploration of the intricacies of academic travel is needed, as it provides insights into how academic travel is a stratified practice, and highlights how academics cope with work-related travel across life and career stages.