Four Inane Questions with Acendas Travel’s JoAnne Weeks

Photo Courtesy of JoAnne Weeks

When clients ask the backstory on how JoAnne Weeks became a rockstar travel agent, it always starts the same way. “It was a dark and stormy night …” she jokes.

If truth be told, her wanderlust started when she turned 13 years old. “My dear mom loved to travel and took me to Europe for the first time when I was 13,” Weeks says. “That was quite a big deal back then when most of our family vacations were in the back seat of the family wagon. Once I had a taste though, I was hooked.”

Photo Courtesy of JoAnne Weeks

Now, Weeks’ goal is to ensure others get bitten by the travel bug. She’s the director of the vacation travel division at Acendas Travel in Overland Park. With over 25 years in the travel industry, she’s become a touchstone for exotic/elaborate/epic/envy-inducing getaways. 

Weeks tells us she started off her career specializing in cruises, which wasn’t always smooth sailing. “I remember I took my first ocean cruise in the early ’90s and was seasick the entire time,” she laughs. “If you had told me that my future career would include cruising over 100 times, I would have decked you!”

If Weeks looks familiar, she should. She’s done dozens of media interviews throughout the Midwest—especially during the pandemic when travel was in turmoil. “I’ve branched out to planning all kinds of travel, and dove into marketing, training, and public speaking along the way,” she says. 

She’s also found a niche helping plan LGBTQ+-friendly excursions and tours. “I tied the knot with my wife on March 15 and now I have a forever travel partner-in-crime,” she says. “The industry has finally realized not everyone has the same style or comfort level, which is why we’re here to help. I know there’s a lot to consider where you want—or should—go to and what type of experience you want to have. All I know is my wife and I have a travel wish list a mile long, and I can’t wait to get started!”

We connected with Weeks during a rare week in the office to answer our wackadoodle questionnaire. Oddly, we’re now also booked to go to the Antilles in Oct. Lesser or greater—we’re not sure which. Bless.

Weeks’ first trip to Europe. // Photo Courtesy of JoAnne Weeks

The Pitch: What’s your favorite color in the Crayon box? 

JoAnne Weeks: Oh, this one is easy. Lime green! It’s one that will easily catch your eye and stand out in the box. It’s happy and bright but still subtle, and not annoyingly assertive like bright red.

Yet it’s still a pretty loud color—just like me! It knows its place among the box but is not afraid to show its true color. 

If you were a TV game show, what TV game show would you be? 

Name that Tune. I have had this addiction, infatuation, and innate love for music since I was little. I still have my eclectic LP collection of over 300 albums, plus an enormous amount of 45s. I love to sing and can spark a tune in under a minute. And I even danced on American Bandstand. 

What’s your most prized travel souvenir of all time? 

Photo Courtesy of JoAnne Weeks

I’m not much of a tchotchke collector these days or my house would be full. We’re talking hoarder-on-steroids-full. But thinking back, it would have to be from my cruise tour to Alaska and the Yukon in 2012. I was a typical tourist and brought home—wait for it!—moose poo jewelry. No kidding. They dry it, shellac it, and make jewelry out of it. 

It’s not much larger than a Milk Dud. I am cracking myself up here. I haven’t thought about this in years. 

What celebrity would you most want to leave your outgoing voicemail message? 

Aretha Franklin, baby! That woman had class and sass all rolled up in one. She was an icon with a powerhouse voice. She finally earned the respect she had demanded for years. Now, I can’t get the dang song out of my head.

Bonus 5th Question: In the history of music, what’s the best dance song ever produced? 

This is a tough one—one that’s very debatable. I’m going to say Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” It’s the only song that had a full-on extended short film video. We all attempted to tape it on our VHS and when we finally caught it, we practiced it over and over until we had it down. It was magic. It was legendary. And I just totally aged myself on that one.