Google Maps and the Traveling Salesman

Abstract

Some friends of ours are about to go on a big European vacation. They talked about how they’ve used Google Maps to help them find the location of hotels, restaurants, and local attractions. They wanted to keep friends and families updated of their progress, but didn’t want to use e-mail. Furthermore, they weren’t sure in which order to visit the places. Being far more enthusiastic than they were, we said we would write an application for them that they can use to enter their destinations, make comments, and plan their journey.