[6] Another chapter describes real-world applications of the problem,[5] ranging "from genome sequencing and designing computer processors to arranging music and hunting for planets".

[7] Reviewer Brian Hayes cites "the most charming revelation" of the book as being the fact that one of those real-world applications has been route planning for actual traveling salesmen in the early 20th century.

[5][8] The remaining chapters are more human-centered, covering human and animal problem-solving strategies, and the incorporation of TSP solutions into the artworks of Julian Lethbridge, Robert A. Bosch, and others.

[12] It includes many historical asides, examples, applications, and biographical information and photographs of key players in the story, making it accessible to readers without a mathematical background.

[9][11] Although In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman is not a textbook, reviewer Christopher Thompson suggests that some of its material on the use of linear programming and on applications of the problem "would be well-suited for classroom use", citing in particular the way it links multiple fields including numerical analysis, graph theory, algorithm design, logic, and statistics.