Travel packages including separately purchased travel items

Abstract

A user of a personal computing device may identify multiple travel items of interest displayed for purchase by a network-based travel service. However, the user may not desire to purchase the travel items in a single purchase. Upon making a travel purchase that includes a first travel item that does not include a second travel item corresponding to the first travel item, the user may employ the network travel package service to search for second travel items corresponding to the first travel item, select from discounted travel packages including the first travel item and second travel items returned from the search, and purchase a discounted travel package. Beneficially, multiple travel items may be purchased separately while obtaining a package discount as compared to the stand-alone price of the travel items.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of facilitating travel purchases, the computer-implemented method comprising:
 as implemented by a processor executing a set of computer-executable instructions:
 identifying a purchase of a first travel item by a traveler; 
 receiving, from the traveler, a query for a travel package; 
 identifying a plurality of additional travel items in response to the query; 
 determining, using one or more cost rules, a second travel item from the plurality of additional travel items that is eligible to be combined with the first travel item to form the travel package; 
 determining a pre-discount travel package cost based at least in part on a sum of a stand-alone cost of the first travel item and a stand-alone cost of the second travel item; 
 determining a reduced cost of the travel package based at least in part on the one or more cost rules and the pre-discount travel package cost, wherein the pre-discount travel package cost exceeds the reduced cost of the travel package; and 
 offering the travel package to the traveler for purchase at the determined reduced cost. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first travel item comprises at least one of a flight reservation, a lodging reservation, an automobile reservation, a train reservation, a bus reservation, a cruise reservation, an event ticket, ground transportation reservation, or travel insurance. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the reduced cost is further determined based at least in part on a purchase price of the first travel item. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of additional travel items is farther identified based on one or more parameters of the first travel item. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising providing to the traveler a search interface enabling submission of the query. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the purchase of the first travel item occurs during a first session, and wherein offering the travel package to the traveler for purchase occurs during a second session subsequent to the first session. 
     
     
         7 . A system to facilitate travel package purchases, the system comprising:
 a data store including a record of a first travel item purchased by a traveler; and   a computing device in communication with the data store, the computing device configured to:
 identify a second travel item eligible to be combined with the first travel item to form a travel package; 
 determine a pre-discount travel package cost based at least in part on a sum of a stand-alone cost of the first travel item and a stand-alone cost of the second travel item; 
 determine a reduced cost of the travel package based at least in part on the one or more travel package rules and the pre-discount travel package cost, wherein the pre-discount travel package cost exceeds the reduced cost of the travel package; and 
 offer the travel package to the traveler for purchase at the determined reduced cost. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the computing device is further configured to receive a travel package query from a computing device of the traveler. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the computing device is further configured to:
 identify a plurality of additional travel items in response to the travel package query; and   identify the second travel item from the plurality of additional travel items based at least in part on the one or more travel package rules.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of additional travel items is further identified based at least in part on one or more parameters of the first travel item. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the reduced cost is further determined based at least in part on a duration of time elapsed since the purchase of the first travel item. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the travel query for the package corresponds to a query for a travel package comprising the first travel item. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the purchase of the first travel item is associated with a first computing session, and wherein the computing device is configured to offer the travel package to the traveler for purchase during a second session subsequent to the first session. 
     
     
         14 . A computer-implemented method for travel purchases, the computer-implemented method comprising:
 as implemented by a computing device executing a set of computer-executable instructions:
 identifying a purchase of a first travel item by a traveler; 
 identifying a second travel item eligible to be combined with the first travel item to form a travel package; 
 determining a pre-discount travel package cost based at least in part on a sum of a stand-alone cost of the first travel item and a stand-alone cost of the second travel item; 
 determining a reduced cost of the travel package based at least in part on the one or more cost rules and the pre-discount travel package cost, wherein the pre-discount travel package cost exceeds the reduced cost of the travel package; and 
 offering the travel package to the traveler for purchase at the determined reduced cost. 
   
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12  further comprising receiving a travel package query from a computing device of the traveler. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  further comprising identifying a plurality of additional travel items in response to the travel query, wherein the second travel item is identified from the plurality of additional travel items. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 13  further comprising transmitting an invitation to the traveler to conduct the travel package query. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 15 , wherein the invitation is transmitted in response to identification of the purchase of the first travel item by the traveler. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , wherein offering the travel package to the traveler for purchase at the determined reduced cost comprises offering the travel package to the traveler for purchase during a session associated with the purchase of the first travel item. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12  further comprising outputting for display to the traveler the pre-discount travel package cost. 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium including computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising:
 first computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to identify a purchase of a first travel item by a traveler; and   second computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 identify a second travel item eligible to be combined with the first travel item to form a travel package; 
 determine a pre-discount travel package cost based at least in part on a sum of a stand-alone cost of the first travel item and a stand-alone cost of the second travel item; 
 determine a reduced cost of the travel package based at least in part on the one or more cost rules and the pre-discount travel package cost, wherein the pre-discount travel package cost exceeds the reduced cost of the travel package; and 
 offer the travel package to the traveler for purchase at the determined reduced cost. 
   
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein second computer-executable instructions cause the processer to identify the second travel item in response to a travel query from a computing device of the traveler, 
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 20 , wherein the second computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify a plurality of additional travel items in response to the travel query, and wherein the second travel item is identified from the plurality of additional travel items. 
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein the second computer-executable instructions cause the processor to offer the travel package to the traveler for purchase during a session not associated with the purchase of the first travel item. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein the second computer-executable instructions cause the processor to output for display to the traveler an amount by which the pre-discount travel package cost exceeds the reduced cost of the travel package. 
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein the reduced cost is further determined based at least in part on a purchase price of the first travel item. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of  claim 24 , wherein the reduced cost is determined based at least in part on reducing the pre-discount travel package cost by the purchase price of the first travel item.