You can (or at least could) use glider hours and quals to reduce the time to get a PPL and CPL. I did a Silver C and 200 hours in gliders and was able to get a UK PPL after 16 hours instead of the usual 40. And got a reduction from CASA in doing my Oz CPL. I started gliding when I was 17, good cheap way to gain experience! You should check with the aviation authority in your country to see current gliding exemptions.
I must admit it was scary being able to fly anywhere in Europe solo after just 16 hours but gliding taught me to navigate, communicate and aviate.