What can be used instead of float('inf') for initializing the minimum distance?

Instead of float('inf') for initializing the minimum distance, you can use a very large number, such as 10**9 or 1e9. This is often used if you don't want to use infinity but need just a large limit. For example:

min_distance = 10**9  # or min_distance = 1e9

You can also use constants from modules, such as sys.maxsize for integer values, if dealing with integer distances.