A few hints you might find useful:
If you are not already using one, try a quarter mil chart rather than a half mil.
If you are using small features as way points, find a larger feature nearby and know where your WP is relative to that.
Look for a feature beyond your way point that if you get to, you know you have gone too far.
Following roads, rivers and railways is always a good one, but dont forget to cross reference with your compass. All to easy for a low time PPL to get the wrong motorway around London.
Feature hop. Draw your line and work out features on or close to you route. When flying hop to each, but don't navigate too close, ie if when you get flying you can see your destination, fly to it and don't worry about the features you planned to see in between.
Draw a black line around the shape of towns/woods/lakes that you have picked as features so that you can see at a glance what you expect to see on the land.
If you get a gps, then learn how to use it intimately before you go flying with it.
Good luck