I went to the US (FL) in 2016 and just did the stand-alone PPL since I could not validate my then-LAPL. The only issue is the visa, which is a hassle but not really a problem. I had the written test done before, arrived on Monday evening, did the checkride on Friday, took me about 6 hours of flying ( I did not have the three hours simulated IR time at the time, the rest of my training was recognized by FAA). I´m glad I did it that way, now I only have to worry about my medical (which I can do together with the EASA one) and a current BFR.