Following last week's Family Travel Q&A, this week we are turning our attention to self-catering holidays. January is one of the busiest months for cottage, villa and apartment bookings so if you're planning a trip in the peak period, it's a good idea to book sooner rather than later. Easier said than done. Wading through the tens of thousands of properties online can be more of a pain than a pleasure so we've put together a panel of experts – who include Toby Sawday of sawdays.co.uk, Nicola Jackson of the National Trust, Sian Williams of babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk, a house swap expert and a representative from holidaylettings.co.uk – to help you find the perfect property for you.
The Q&A will cover bookings in the UK and Europe but not beyond. Within those geographical limits our experts will aim to answer as many questions as possible, whether you are planning a big gathering or are looking for a hideaway for two in the UK; are looking for an affordable family villa with a pool in a specific location or are simply after some suggestions for off-the-beaten-track locations away from the summer hordes. They will also be able to highlight some of the more unusual properties available to rent, suggest affordable destinations beyond the major European hotspots, and advise on what to ask before you book, the best time to book and how much you should expect to pay.
The Q&A will take place at 1-2pm on Wednesday 16 January but you can post your questions now in the comments below.
The Panel
Nicola Jackson, product Assistant for the National Trust's holiday cottages which are spread across the UK (excluding Scotland).
Sian Williams, founder, babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk which features baby- and toddler-friendly independent accommodation in the UK and Europe but also caters to families with older children.
Claire Smith, reservations manager, Cottages4you, which has 10,000 properties across the UK, Ireland, France and Italy on its books.
Toby Sawday is managing director of sawdays.co.uk which features self-catering properties in the UK, Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain.
Rhiannon Batten is a journalist. She regularly reviews accommodation in the UK for Guardian Travel and is also the travel editor of Olive magazine.
Helen Shaw, founder of Sheepskin. The winner of Guardian Travel's Best Website Award 2012 features a small collection of carefully curated rural cottages, mostly in Wales.
Kate Humphrey of holidaylettings.co.uk, which covers all the major European destinations plus some of the less obvious ones for self-catering like Scandinavia, Croatia and even Albania.
Dudley der Parthog, who runs Sunvil Travel's comprehensive Greece programme, 90% of which is based on self-catering accommodation.
Mark Sealey, partner in the company Home Base Holidays which runs the home swap website for the Guardian (guardianhomeexchange.co.uk). If you're looking to save money through a home swap, Mark's the man to ask.
