As others have said, finding a flying buddy could make a big difference.
Ideally a pilot ready to give and receive constructive criticism.
I did this early post-PPL and it has clear advantages:
Half the cost (you fly out, they fly back, etc)
You do more adventurous stuff, (one of you is always more comfortable with something).
You are safer: eg I see three times more traffic P2 than I do P1. (Finally, I realised why FI's saw so much during my PPL...)
Last but not least, it's somebody to have lunch with when you get there.