Academic mobility refers to students and teachers in higher education moving to another institution inside or outside their own country to study or teach for a limited time. In some cases, it is chosen for positive reasons, usually by young students with no family commitments; however, for most researchers, it is a form of casualization, which can blight their whole careers and break up their families. Academic mobility suffers from cultural, family, socio-economical, and academic barriers. The Bologna process attempts to lower these obstacles within the European higher education area.