My goodness me! I go away for a couple of weeks, and come back to catfights on PPRuNe. Tut!
My home field is one of those fine places that charges the same landing fee whatever aids you use or don't use. So whenever I return home with another pilot in the RHS, I ask for a practice ILS (or NDB, or whatever) procedure. Out comes the hood, and off we go.
It keeps the skills slightly honed, it keeps the FAA IR valid (need 6 approaches in 6 months for that), and is good for the soul too.
With no pilot in the RHS, I join VFR. I might have the ILS selected, just to check that the needles are doing what they should, but no more than that.
I've been safety pilot for another IR practising in VMC under full ATC control, and had to shout "break off the turn" as another aircraft flew exactly where we were going to be. Not showing on radar, shouldn't have been there (Class B airspace), but no consolation if we'd hit him.