You will probably not wear your rain pants as often, but they are extremely nice to have should you be caught in a rainy situation.  Rain pants are also nice if traveling in cooler climates or for helping to block the wind.

There are all kinds of rain pants available, from simple inexpensive shell pants to high end performance pants geared towards serious hikers costing well over a hundred dollars.  For your travels, we recommend a simple pair of shell type pants that are 100% waterproof, breathable, lightweight, packable and can easily be worn over your other pants. 

You may want to consider pants having a boot zip cuff allowing you to put the pants on and remove them without having to remove your shoes.

Shop around as you may prefer something higher end that may be worn for activities other than travel.