Editors note: Our series Enterprising Spirit documents how businesses and workers are managing the economys slow return to life after its sudden shutdown in March and adapting to new challenges ahead.

Cathy Nystrom arranges travel for a living, but that doesnt make her immune to the whims of an industry ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

Nystrom, owner of Edwards LaLone Travel agency in downtown Spokane, had long been looking forward to a European getaway in mid-March. It was a work trip one of the perks of being in the travel industry that would have put her and other industry members on a river cruise up the Danube for a week, mixing work and leisure for a few days.

The trip, however, became more unlikely as COVID-19 spread globally. Luckily, Nystrom has made a career of handling situations like these for clients over the last 30 years, and she knows how to make the best of the unfortunate situation. She got a refund on the cruise and a credit for her flight.

It was a lot of waiting around for the company to cancel the cruise itself, because they waited till the last minute and wouldnt give refunds if it wouldnt be canceled, Nystrom said. Times like this truly give companies and individuals the chance to show their true selves, Ive found.

Nystrom has been with Edwards LaLone since its inception 30 years ago, and has been the owner for the past seven years. The agency handles travel plans for its clients every step of the way, booking hotels, rental cars and flights for solo travelers and school trips.

Many think travel agents are a relic of a bygone era, Nystrom said, but the reality is the internet has only helped grow her business. Travelers still appreciate having an expert on call from booking to returning home, and sometimes its simply easier to avoid rabbit holes and have someone who knows how to do the work for you, Nystrom said.

And over the years, Nystrom has taken one golden rule to heart: whats best for the client is best for the agency.

Nystrom and her seven employees make nearly all their income on commissions from travel companies. As bookings dried up, so did the revenue. Nystrom had to lay off all her agents, some of whom have since gone on unemployment.

Nonetheless, Nystrom said it was never an option to close up shop entirely. Clients still needed help fighting for refunds on canceled trips; she spent the first week of the shutdown evacuating clients from overseas.

Theres not a chance Ill just shut it down and go to the lake for the summer, Nystrom said. The phone is not ringing off the hook by any means. But if there are only two phone calls a week, I want to be here for those two calls.

Like many non-essential businesses, the agency has felt the pinch in recent months as its office closed and employees retreated home. But the travel industry has been under extra pressure as clients cancel flights and stay home whenever possible.

Nonetheless, Nystrom said she was crazy busy for the first weeks of the shutdown. The travel industry, she said, is difficult to grasp for the uninitiated on the best of days, with its constantly shifting rules and regulations. Clients needed Nystroms expertise to help them navigate cancellations, refunds, credits and future plans. On top of that, Nystrom was suddenly her agencys only employee.

But Edwards LaLone has seen hard times before. The agency hasnt missed a single world crisis in its three decades, Nystrom said Spokane travelers have gotten caught up in SARS, volcanoes, Ebola and typhoons before, and Nystrom and her staff got them out.

The industry saw travel dry up drastically following 9/11 and the 2008 economic crisis, and as a result Nystrom has run her business conservatively in anticipation of another downturn. Shes built up a sizable rainy-day fund thats been keeping her going during the pandemic. Plus, she admits, working from home has allowed her to adopt a less-hectic pace thats been pretty soothing.

But things are not exactly certain. Nystrom said she doesnt expect bookings to return to normal levels until a vaccine for the coronavirus is developed, and her agents may not be able to return full-time until January.

A few clients whose trips werent canceled have stuck with Edwards LaLone, including Echo Norisada, a Spokane resident whos been planning her sons 21st birthday trip to Las Vegas since February.

Norisada said the trip, scheduled for the end of July, had been increasingly uncertain since the pandemics start. But when she heard Las Vegas would be starting to reopen, she called Nystrom to make sure plans could still continue.

Ive just been sitting here and waiting for months now, not knowing what well do, Norisada said. But one call to Cathy and she handled it all for me while I was on the phone.

Though shes a little nervous about traveling during a pandemic, Norisada said Nystrom had reassured her about precautions being taken by hotels and airlines. Plus, Norisada said, she would rather support a local business whenever possible, especially one like Nystroms that shes patronized for years.

Other than a few clients like Norisada here and there, Nystrom said the initial craziness has now died down. She gets only a few emails a week now, mostly from clients wishfully thinking about future vacations when things are back to normal. But Nystrom is expecting that when business returns again, it will be in full force.

Im a little afraid its going to be like flipping a switch, Nystrom said.

In the meantime, Nystrom is working from home, keeping in touch with longtime clients and posting travel inspiration on the agencys social media. And shes planning a little something for herself, too this October, she and her husband will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a trip to Hawaii using the credit from her canceled Europe trip.

Or, if things are still upside down, theyll take the car to northern California.

I see a lot of car travel and camping for this summer and fall, Nystrom said. And thats not exactly our biggest business. But we arent going anywhere.

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Enterprising Spirit: Business is at a crawl for Spokane travel agency as it waits for the rebound - The Spokesman-Review