Tina Chen gazed at the wall map in her Manhattan office, five red pins shining under the fluorescent lights. New York. London. Tokyo. Dubai. Sydney. These five cities held the key to her career-defining moment.
As the senior diamond sales representative for Lumière Jewels, Sarah had spent the last eleven months building connections with the world’s most elite buyers. Now, as December’s cold settled over New York City, the time had come to seal the deals that would determine her year’s success.
But there was a hitch.
Her boss, the thrifty Victor Ashford, had given her just one week to visit all four international clients, get their signed contracts, and come back to New York for the yearly board meeting. With the company’s travel budget tight, every kilometer counted.
“Pick your route ,” Victor had cautioned pushing a spreadsheet across his mahogany desk. “Extra miles mean extra costs. I need you to be efficient, Sarah. Not to go on a world tour.”
The Challenge Begins
Sarah laid out the flight information on her desk. Every figure stood for hours squeezed into plane seats, shifts between time zones, and valuable time away from sealing business deals.
The distances were daunting:
- New York to London: 5,585 km
- New York to Tokyo: 10,838 km
- New York to Dubai: 11,007 km
- New York to Sydney: 15,988 km
- London to Dubai: 5,500 km
- London to Sydney: 17,000 km
- London to Tokyo: 9,594 km
- Tokyo to Dubai: 7,918 km
- Tokyo to Sydney: 7,815 km
- Dubai to Sydney: 11,895 km
You need to help Tina plan her journey starting from New York and figure out the shortest way to visit London, Tokyo, Dubai, and Sydney once each before heading back to New York!
——View the answer——
The shortest route is New York → Tokyo → Sydney → Dubai → London → New York with a total distance of 41,633 km.
You may also choose to travel in reverse order to travel the same distance.
