Travelling lighter is essential; for convenience, speed and ease. As you travel more frequently, you'll hone your packing and security skills to an art form.

Whether it's for short weekend getaways or long backpacking trips, packing mishaps range from inconvenient to disastrous, but most are preventable.

We love being able to explore new places and see (and eat) new things. There will always be a few things that you will always bring with you on every trip.

Other than your carry-on bag (which we discuss on our previous articles), here are the essentials you will only need to pack well:

1. DSLR bag

Your DSLR bag can be a padded leather handbag that doesn't look like a camera bag, but has a layer of padding to protect your camera and is big enough (but not too big) to also carry your phone, passport and purse.

Also, camera messenger bags and shoulder bags are popular picks with professional photographers. The bags are perfect for on-the-go shooters. A camera bag backpack or rolling case is ideal if you have plenty of gear to haul around.

You can also consider a bag that has a special laptop pocket. A bag that is water-resistant or waterproof is perfect for outdoor photography.

2. Clothes

Always pack a change of clothes in your carry-on. Pack a jacket, a pair of jeans or leggings and t-shirt, shirt or blouse, or a dress, some formal wear if you're going to a nice event, some clean underwear, shoes and socks.

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing that looks great together. They are mixes and matches to create many unique outfits. They layer well. A well-built capsule wardrobe will cover almost any social situation in any climate.

Fun fact: Rolling clothes reduces wrinkles.

3. A wallet for important travel documents

Aside from packing your regular, everyday wallet, the Bellroy Travel Wallet is a folio for all of your travel documents, like a passport, boarding passes, landing cards and extra currency. It's an easy way to streamline everything and stay organized at the airport. It will make getting through all the airport check-in and security processes easier and smoother since you could hold everything that you would need to hand over - all in one place.

Because of the versatility of this Bellroy travel wallet, function outweighs fashion. It comes only in black, slate gray, dark brown and light brown.

4. Laptop

If you're looking for an ultra-portable laptop that is light as a feather, the Macbook Air is your friend. The Macbook Air can be used as a TV while you are traveling - and carry an external hard drive full of movies/tv shows for those times you just need a little downtime. If you need to work on the road (which isn't recommended on vacation but only for urgent matters), you can write, edit and email. iMovie and iPhoto come free, making photo editing and video production a breeze.

We hope you succeed in traveling light.