Good post ScooterBoy.....
I would tend to slightly disagree with IO for once
All my tickets and ratings were done as a holiday (PPL 5 weeks, IR 5 weeks, CPL 10 weeks - I took it easy). During the IR we toured right around California, Nevada and Arizona as at the time we were short of XC time. Had a ball.
My CPL QXC was to Sedona, followed by Laughlin in Nevada for some over night gambling (I lost
) then into Big Bear for some snowball fights in shorts and again had a great time. It was never a drag "having" to go out there
I used to carry out the CPL VFR manouvres over Catalina Island, and then land for a buffalo burger afterwards. I Lazy-8'd all the way back one day
So it is personnal choice, it IS cheaper in the USA, and a different way of training but IMO just as good as the UK. I returned to the UK and had no problem adjusting and now own a G reg plane and enjoy flying there just as much, but in a different way.