I wondered the same thing after my PPL, and decided to stretch myself in steps and build confidence, rather than go for something which might weaken it.
I planned trips to airfields about an hour away, different everytime (to get even more practiced at R/T, overhead joins and circuits at different aifields), building up confidence on judging the weather etc.
I didn't go to France until I'd been across the Solent, flown diversions, and been to the Scilly Isles. An IMC helps when crossing the sea enormously.
In the early days, there's a wealth of places to visit in the UK, so there's still loads of fun!