Very true, FD, if you look at a freshly minted PPL he has really only demontrated he is barely safe enough to carry passengers in the local area. And even in the States where it's a lot easier to go places, I'd say that over 50% of new instructors have only done the minimum cross country times for certificate issuance. Most of them are just bumps on logs themselves.
But that is why they call it alicence to learn. Best thing for a new ppl to do is to avoid instructors for a while and fly with other more experienced pilots who are just flying around for the hell of it. Expand your horizons one step at a time, hang out at the airport and make friends. The responsibility to go places rests with the new PPL and not the instructor.....