Variants of the Traveling Salesman Problem

Abstract This paper includes an introduction to the concept of spreadsheet optimization and modeling as it specifically applies to combinatorial problems. One of the best known of the classic combinatorial problems is the “Traveling Salesman Problem” (TSP). The classic Traveling Salesman Problem has the objective of minimizing some value, usually distance, while defining a sequence of locations where each is visited once. An additional requirement is that the tour ends in the same location where the tour started. Variants of the classic Traveling Salesman Problem are developed including the Bottleneck TSP and the Variation Bottleneck TSP.