I've been travelling a lot lately so I haven't been popping into Manchester city centre quite as much as normal. However, I took my friend to see The Vagina Monologues at the Palace Theatre last Wednesday, and I was shocked to find that the controversial new parking regulations that Manchester City Council proposed some time ago, have indeed come into effect.

From 8am to 8pm Monday through to Sunday, there is no longer any free street parking in Manchester centre. Metered parking and single yellow line restrictions used to end at 6pm on week nights, and be free from 12 noon Saturday and through to 8am Monday morning. But no more. And on the meter we found closest to the theatre, it was over £5 for just 2 hours of parking.

Talking rubbish

Manchester City Council are claiming that the new charges help reduce congestion and free up parking spaces for more people to park where they need to to access shops and so on. Quite frankly, that's a load of tosh. And the charges are going to make it pretty much unfeasible for people like me, who live in the outskirts of the city, to afford to use many of the wonderful diversions Manchester offers in the early evenings and over the weekend.

Which ultimately means that local businesses and those that can reap revenue from that early evening slot will suffer. Not to mention the impact this will have for weekend business.

No real alternative

I'd be more than happy to use decent public transport if there was any. However, the public transport system in Manchester pretty much only exists in any decent form for those who live in the south of the city and in Studentsville. Live in Tameside like me, and you're practically buggered from being able to access decent public transport.

For example, the last train I can get back from Manchester to the station closest to me is at 8.30pm - can you believe that? And there isn't even a route on Sunday. As for the bus, it's around a 30-40 minute journey one way, plus extra time for walking. Not that I would want to make the 15 minute walk back home on my own at night, either.

I have always been keen to venture into Manchester in the early evenings to dine at restaurants, watch films at our local independent cinema Cornerhouse, and support local arts events. But now? If I was to come into Manchester three times a week, I'd likely be spending at least £15 in parking. It's just not affordable for me.

So - I'm now expecting that I will have to miss out on some of the activities and events that I used to enjoy because I can't afford to park, and my car is the safest way for me to usually travel into the city centre. I'm not prepared to risk the 'fight bus,' nor endure a journey of almost 3 hours home and back (when it's a 15 minute drive), therefore it looks like I'll have to be socially excluded from what's going on in the city centre.

I see this move as a very bad one. Manchester City Council have been very short-sighted without a real consideration of the detrimental impact on local business, tourism and on local people.

If you feel as strongly as I do about the new parking charges for Manchester, please do make your views known and complain to Manchester City Council.

By Andrea Wren

Ahhh good old Tenerife – Bet Lynch's favourite Canary Island and the winter sun destination for the 'Brits Abroad' contingent. But are the preconceptions that many of us have of a holiday in Tenerife valid? And is there a 'different side' of the island to discover?

Shattering the illusions of Tenerife as a gathering ground for beer-soaked, sunburn-striped, bargain-basement holidaymakers was the purpose of a trip I was on with Low Cost Holidays, who took me out to there a couple of weekends ago to do a short-break walking holiday and see what else the island can offer.

Unfortunately, the impressions I did have of Tenerife were met the minute I arrived at the Ten Bel Alborada apartments hotel – think giant, concrete car park decorated with red and white caution tape around crumbling parts of the pool, with worse customer service than you'd get from traffic wardens, plonked in a dump of a resort rumoured for muggings, and then you're still nowhere near how bad it was.

Thankfully though, our walking guide Christine soon gave us respite from this less salubrious location of the island, to show us its true beauty, hidden away on fig-laden volcanic walks and in lizard-scattered valleys.

Tenerife's inspirational corners

Christine has lived in Tenerife for 11 years, and as an experienced hiker and guide, she knows the bits where you won't find Brits guzzling all-inclusive lager and dancing to The Village People.

Kitted out with sturdy boots and carrying much bottled water, our first day's walk was to be a relatively gentle ascent up and around the volcanoes of Arena Negras and Chinyero, providing blissful tranquillity through pine forest and over black ash landscapes.

Yes, I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised. We spent a long time treading pine needle paths while shaded from the hot sun from their parent trees, and we had been lucky enough to meet an almond-farmer who smashed opened shells to let us taste the fresh nuts. Was this really Tenerife?

As I sat at a rest stop feeling the small pinch of a tiny lizard's mouth on my finger (the little daredevil had come close to see if I had any food, and when I put my finger out, it promptly bit me thinking it had secured a meal!), I was in awe of how easy it is to escape the package tourist masses and find a completely different experience here – providing you know where to look.

And a full day of walking through such diverse scenery – from stepping over pine cones the size of dinosaur eggs to kicking up charcoal-coloured dust as we tramped over lava fields – really showed me what Tenerife was capable of providing. It was just a shame we had to head back to the Ten Bel Alborada at the end of the day.

Still, our second day of walking, doing the popular Masca route, surprised me further. I was expecting helpings of the same in terms of the vistas and terrain, and yet it couldn't have been more different. Starting in the tiny and picturesque 'forgotten village' of Masca, we began the deep descent that this walk (well, scramble) was to be about.

Not a walk for the inexperienced, there were a couple of perilous moments and I frequently found myself thinking of the Danny Boyle film '127 Hours'. But it was so utterly enjoyable, clambering lower and lower into the gorges and through the rocks, and discovering hill streams and lush fauna in the valleys. The real prize though, was stripping off and jumping into the sea in Masca Bay – a beckoning oasis - at the very end of the walk, before enjoying a much-welcomed beer on the boat (pre-booked!) back to Los Gigantes.

I half expected to wake up the next day with a bottom the size of a peach after all the effort my glutes had put in doing the Masca trek. Alas, this was not to be the case, but my stiff thighs and other aches were felt in relish at the work I'd done on that hike.

As I was moving robotically due to the smart of muscles never used, I was thankful my last day in Tenerife with Christine was a drive up into the Teide National Park to get views of the summit of Mount Teide, Tenerife's highest peak at 3718m.

It was pretty spectacular up here, and I was struck by how accessible this scenery was, with excellent roads to reach it. For the less able-bodied, this is a perfect way to find some of Tenerife's beauty spots and natural splendour, without the hiking. So in this regard, there is something for everyone here. Just hire a car, or hire Christine to bring you.

So what did I discover? Well, there IS a different and very beautiful side to Tenerife, if you stay away from the dodgy resorts like Las Galletas where we were based, and this lovely scenery can be more accessible than you think.

But would I visit the island just to come walking again? I don't know about that, because I'd want a nice place to relax after the walking as well, and that bit I didn't find, and wasn't shown.

Low Cost Holidays were my hosts for this trip, and guided walks are available through Christine at StarTrex (starting from 25 Euros per person).

By Andrea Wren

In case you didn't know, I recently became a bmibaby Travel Expert, and this weekend I'm being sent to Toulouse in France to complete a 100 euros challange - that is, can I discover the city in a weekend on a budget of 100 euros or less?

I've been sent an exciting suggested itinerary of things that I could do very cheaply or for free, and my allocated budget must also include my food and drink (although I'll have vouchers for my airport transfers).

I fly out on Friday night from Manchester Airport (with bmibaby, obviously!) and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I pride myself on being able to find great deals and offers so I'm going to do a bit of research ahead of time and see where the bargains may be.

If you've been to Toulouse and know of any good value places to eat or drink, please let me know! Especially if they're vegetarian-friendly :)

I'll also be tweeting throughout the weekend - so follow me on Twitter at @andrea_wren and watch out for the hashtag #100Toulouse.

Since my return from the fabulous city of Madrid where I had a wonderful weekend with the girlies. I've been meaning to write about my top five things to do with the lasses. Strangely, they all seem to be about food or drink, rather than sight-seeing. Ah well.

1. Tuck into late night chocolate con churros at Chocolateria San Gines

Oh yum. We checked into the hotel just after midnight, then wandered straight through the bustling streets of Madrid for some decadent early hours snacking of chocolate con churros at this prime spot. €3.70 gets you a cup of warm, liquid chocolate and a mound of deep-fried churros - a type of Spanish doughnut - that is just a perfect way to start a weekend. And Chocolateria San Gines is only closed for 2 hours a day (7am until 9am).

2. Enjoy a glass of 'green wine' in Madrid's hidden, and not so hidden, bars

When in Madrid, you must try the delicious 'green wine' - or vinho verde. There were several bars we went to which were wonderful, but the one with the best selection of wine had to be El Tempranillo on Cava Baja. The worst thing about this bar was the nasty waiter man with a bad attitude. Still, the amazing selection of wine, at very cheap prices, allowed us to forget about the horrible man once we got a seat, and the bartender was actually quite cute, so we focused our wine goggles on him instead.

3. Sip champagne and eat tapas at the Mercado de San Miguel

Oh my word - the Mercado de San Miguel is the place to visit for a really unique night out in Madrid (and to fill up cheaply on good food). The market is a culinary food centre with different vendors selling their foodie wares and their lovely wines. You can buy lots of tasty nibbles and try different wines and champagne, then seat yourself at a table and stool running through the market's middle. One stall sells many different tapas toasts with fishy toppings such as creamed herring for 1 Euro each! Or try a taster plate of paella for 3 Euros from a different stall. The market is open until midnight on Sunday, and 1am on Saturday.

4. Drink an afternoon beer in Plaza Mayor

The prices are hiked up compared to the rest of the city, but you can't come to Madrid and not drink a beer in one of the cafes in Plaza Mayor. Several of the outdoor terraces of the restaurants and eateries have the added luxury of providing fine water sprays over you to cool you down while you sit (so you do get a bit more for your money!) and of course, you get to see some of the odd ways in which people are earning a living, by watching the freakish street entertainers! And there are artists selling their paintings here too.

5. Dance the night away in Madrid's bars and clubs

Madrid, as we discovered, is very definitely a buzzing and happening 'night time city'. The night life is reputedly some of the best in the world, and we found that reputation proved itself. Though our clubbing experience wasn't what we intended (we ended up in a club called 'Buddha' way outside the city centre, ultra expensive, posey and didn't get going until 3am), we found many bars that you could dance in way until the early hours. We especially enjoyed being around Huertas, which is fairly mainstream and near where we were staying, as well as the gay area Chueca. La Latina was great to get a fix of tapas and wine, before going off dancing.

Read more about Madrid in the Madrid (Lonely Planet City Guide), which has got an excellent map and some comprehensive walking tours (including one of the old city which we actually followed - although we did frequently stop for beer and tapas!).

Today is 'I Love MCR' day, an effort to show the world that the people of Manchester are proud of their city and are united against anti-social behaviour.

And the best bit? You can get free badges, car stickers and other gubbins from the 'I Love MCR' stall in the Arndale Centre in Manchester city centre, should you be around town or heading there.

For images and posters, check the Facebook page.

To support 'I Love MCR' System One have 2000 free, one day any bus scratchcards to give away until the end of today (Friday 26 August) I think (if there are any left...): www.systemonetravelcards.co.uk

By Andrea Wren

It's been a while since my last confession. Ahem, I mean blog post. I've been very grown up having a new kitchen fitted, and it's taken up every last ounce of energy (oh, and I have had some rather good news regarding a column that I'll soon be writing in the Guardian too - which again is time-consuming, but bloody brilliant!).

But, for some much needed respite, this evening I fly to Madrid with three girlfriends for a weekend of mayhem. Err, I mean sightseeing. As we're flying with Ryanair, I think I will need to follow some of my own advice on packing with hand-baggage only, although the hot weather makes it easier.

Thankfully, one of my friend's has been before so I'm hoping she will enlighten me on the top sights and attractions, though I know the Prado Museum is considered one of them. We are most certainly planning on sampling Madrid's nightlife however - which I hear is supposed to be some of the best in the world! And thanks to a friend I have who is a Madrid local, we're going prepared with a list of bars and clubs to try that are out of the tourist trap.

So, while I may be squeezing in a quick painting of my kitchen door this morning, this afternoon I'll be getting my stuff together for our journey out to Madrid in the early evening. And I'm looking forward to some time with the girlies in the Spanish heat (or the señoritas, should I say)!

By Andrea Wren

I waved goodbye to my 'Couchsurfing' guest Maryline a few weeks ago now, and I was getting ready to host another guest very recently. This 'surfer' changed his plans last minute so didn't arrive, but expecting him did give me more practice in my hosting preparation.

I thought I'd share some of my hosting tips for others interested in hosting a 'couchsurfer', to make the experience a great one (which it should be!).

1. Decide with your guest before they come what amount of time you will spend with them, so both parties know the 'deal'. For example, are you treating the guest like a friend and showing them around, taking them out, eating meals with them? Or will they basically just be 'crashing' at your place and doing their own thing? Let your guests know if you have any prior commitments during their stay that you will need to attend to.

2. Will you be around when your guest arrives in your home town? Make sure you have made arrangements for access for them if you're going to be at work, or help them with suggestions of things to do while they're waiting to come to you. Have a contingency plan in place if something goes wrong, such as their flight is late or you have an emergency. Don't just leave an expected guest in the 'lurch' if something unforeseen happens.

3. Are you able to provide towels, linen and other comforts for your guest? I personally would hate to stay somewhere where this wasn't the case (I've seen on Couchsurfing some people are expected to even bring their own sheets!) and I want my guests to feel at home. So I leave a towel in the room, and they are free to use my toiletries such as shampoo, soap and toothpaste, as well as hairdryer.

4. If you're going to be showing your guest around, plan some 'touristy' things to do with them. I took Maryline to see the wonders of the Peak District, which she loved. We also went out into Manchester so she could see some of the city's super nightlife, and we went for a local curry the next day as well!

5. Will you be cooking for your guest, or would you like them to bring and buy their own food? Not everyone has the budget to provide meals for couchsurfers, especially if they host a lot of them. But let your guest know what they can expect - chances are, they may like to cook a dinner for you as a thank you! As couchsurfing is more about forming friendships though, it's nice to spend some time over at least one meal with your guest.

6. Do you have any house rules that your guest needs to be aware of? Better to avoid any disagreements or the possibility of offending one another by being upfront about any house rules before your guest arrives. For example, if you have a non-smoking household, or are a vegetarian and prefer meat not to be cooked in your home, let them know. Or you may like guests to wash up after themselves, or agree to be back by a certain time mid-week if you have work.

7. Are your guests aware of the type of household they are visiting? A thorough profile should have made it clear if you're in a student house and people party all night, or you're a family and you work and the kids go to school in the morning so everyone's in bed by 10pm. Check that your home environment is suitable for your guest. And if you live with pets and animals, you should probably not have guests stay who may be afraid of them or have allergies.

I hope these tips are useful! And if you want to check out my profile on couchsurfing, it's here: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/andreawren/

By Andrea Wren

It's not as baking today, but over the past few days, my dog hasn't quite known what to do with herself in the warmth. Being a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and 12 years old to boot, she's not very good at regulating her temperature, so our walks have been short and sweet to avoid heat exhaustion.

So, as many people do travel with their canine friends in hot weather, I thought it would be wise to offer a few tips to help keep dogs cool as a cucumber. After all, the only mechanisms dogs have available to them to cool down is through panting, and sweating through their footpads, so death through overheating is a very real danger. Here then are my hot weather tips for dogs that travel (or stay at home!):

DO NOT leave dogs in parked cars

Leaving a dog in a parked car, even with a window partially open in the shade, is a total no-no. Cars in the shade still get hot in high temperatures, and dogs overheat very easily. Hot weather is usually very still, so breeze would rarely come in through the window. Bring your dog with when you leave the car, and just travel to dog friendly places when it's hot.

Keep your dog indoors

At least for most of the time. Take much shorter walks than you usually do with your dog if the weather is hot, and ensure you go on walks where you'll find water sources (such as streams), or take some water with you. It's impossible to not take my dog out as she whines so much for her daily walk, so I just take her on a very short stroll close to home when the sun is baking down.

Ensure adequate shelter and water

If you do have to kennel or leave your dog outdoors, then make sure it has plenty of shade and a bucket full of water. Erect some additional, permanent shade for your dog to ensure it has shelter all day (the sun moves, you see!), and if you're out at the beach or in a park, bring a parasol or umbrella that the dog can sit under.

Beware of heated surfaces

You know how hot sand can get when you try to get to the sea? Well it's the same for dogs, especially on pavements. Pavements and tarmac can really heat up under all-day sunshine, and the pads of your dog's feet will burn on them. Avoid walking on them when the sun has been out for many hours, and feel the surface before taking your dog onto it. Walk them early or late, instead.

Don't overwork your dog

If you normally exercise with your dog, such as cycling or jogging with it, now's the time to leave it at home or in your accommodation. Dogs will keep on going to the point of collapsing through exhaustion so don't put your dog at risk in this way.

And finally, keep on the look-out for other dogs 'in need' in hot weather. For example, if you see a dog locked in car or a dog chained in a yard without shade or water, alert the RSPCA. If possible to reach, give the dog water until help comes.

By Andrea Wren

An already expensive city to visit and stay in, I just read on TravelMole that from the 1st July 2011, Venice will be imposing a 'tourist tax' on accommodation, as the city of Florence already does. This will be mean that a tourist will need to pay 1 Euro per night of stay, per star of category, for up to a maximum of five nights.

So, a person staying in a 5 star hotel for five nights or more will pay an extra EUR25 on top of their holiday cost, for the privilege of visiting Venice. It is claimed the tax will help infrastructure as well as all Venice’s cultural monuments.

There are exemptions, including staying in hostels and the under 10s, but some would argue that such a tax on tourists is a draconian way of bringing income into a 'successful' destination like Venice, where although tourist numbers are excessive, they also tend to be day-trippers and cruise-shippers - not spending much but arriving and leaving in big droves.

Obviously, if tourists are not spending an awful lot of money, then their mass prescence will just increase the expense for a city - such as in cleaning and environmental management (as well as be a pain in the ass for residents!). But is charging a tax to the tourists that WILL be spending their cash - the ones booking accommodation and eating meals in Venice - the way to deal with this issue?

A tourist 'punishment'?

Unsurprisingly, it seems that local hotel associations and trade body ‘Confinmercio’ are opposed to the accommodation tax. They know it will put people off staying, and it feels like a penalty. Yes, admittedly the cost is a relatively low additional expense - if you're in a 3 star hotel you'll pay an extra EUR15 at the most per person - but should the spending tourists be paying for the ones who aren't?

While I'm totally for the idea of sustainable tourism and think that tourists should contribute to the local economies they visit, I don't think this is the way forwards. If anything, the tax should be targeted towards the low-spenders in the city, such as cruise-ship visitors - and could be imposed on return to the ship, providing the visitors haven't spent a certain amount while in town?

And surely there are more positive ways to encourage visitors to spend more, anyway?

Where will it end?

The thing is, if most Italian cities follow suit, then it may be a low tax for just coming to one of those cities, but to travel around Italy could be much more expensive. And while on one side the tourist boards of destinations are working hard to bring tourists in, do people really want to visit a place when they feel like they're also being penalised for doing so?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

By Andrea Wren

After reading Karen Bryan's recent post on Europe a La Carte about the best European cities to visit, I was inspired to write my own list of my top five favourite cities in the world. There are so many wonderful places I've been to, but there a few which stand out more than others.

I have to say though, I'm not entirely sure that my best-loved cities necessarily come in this order. It just depends on what side of bed I've got out of, but this is how I feel today hehe.

1. Bangkok

Chaotic, frenetic and ever-so-slightly mental, Bangkok is utterly bewitching in a very hectic way. From the smells of fish balls cooking on the street stalls to the high-pitched calls of "massaaaage" from the ladies at the less salubrious Thai 'salons', the city if full of colour. I just adore the Chatuchak Weekend Market (and I wrote a guide to visiting it) but the temples are incredible too, especially Wat Arun. And Thai food, of course, is just so yummy, with Bangkok being the best place to eat it.

CLICK HERE for lowest prices on Bangkok hotels!

2. Vancouver

I know the Stanley Cup riots have been an issue there recently, but this doesn't change the fact that Vancouver is one of the most laid-back cities to visit with a bit of everything thrown in. Urban meets the wilderness with Vancouver, a city which has ocean on one side and mountains on the other. I love Lighthouse Park and the coyote warnings on the beach, which only add to Vancouver's 'nature' feel. There is a very good reason that Vancouver continues to be voted number the world's most livable city live in. And that's because it is!

CLICK HERE for lowest prices on Vancouver hotels!

3. Rome

My goodness, I love Rome. Everything you've ever heard about how it captivates your heart and soul is true. It's blissful to get lost in Rome's cobbled streets and to find yourself in a small pizzeria, eating from a table with a red-checked cloth and drinking great wine. Or people-watching on the Spanish Steps as the sun goes down. And the Sistine Chapel is one of my favourite wonders of the world - I could spend hours here looking at the frescos and The Creation of Adam.

CLICK HERE for lowest prices on Rome hotels!

4. New York

Fast and frenzied, New York excites me everytime I visit. I love the constant buzz of the city, and just how many things there are to do and see here. I love the huge margeritas at Benny's Burritos in Greenwich Village, going out to Coney Island to take a ride on the Cyclone, and the fact that you can get a taco delivered to your hotel room here. And while I'm not big into shopping normally, in New York I can't resist Macy's when there's a sale on.

CLICK HERE for lowest prices on New York hotels!

5. Cape Town

It was hard to decide on number 5, and I was close to picking Berlin but went for Cape Town because the whole Cape Peninsula, rather than the city centre in itself, is fascinating. I can't get over the fact that you can go for a drive towards Cape Point and see penguins at Boulders Beach, and then baboons by the roadside. The mountainous, rugged scenery surrounded by crashing ocean hypnotises you (especially if you've been imbibing the produce from the Groot Constantia Wine Estate), and you'll find the quality of food in the Cape unbeatable.

CLICK HERE for lowest prices on Cape Town hotels!