If you fly from a nice 24*7 base, you are very lucky, and the night rating is indeed not only a useful thing to have, but fun too!
My aircraft is day-VFR only, so I have to rent to night-fly. My home airfield only night-flies on weekdays, and I can't get back from the office in time. My next-nearest airfield also only night-flies on weekdays. The next-nearest after that is opened until 8pm 7 nights a week - great! Except that neither of the schools on the field were happy about hiring to me for night-flying because I'm not familiar with the field, and there are some trees on final which become invisible at night. So that gave me a choice of two more airfields within reasonable driving distance, both of which are open for night-flying 7 days a week, but both only till 6pm unless I pay a huge suppliment. Doing any kind of night cross-country is pretty much impossible if I have to be back by 6pm, and the usefulness that you talk about is completely lost.
Flying in the US is generally a pleasure, but especially when it comes to night flying. If an airfield has lights, then you can land there at night - simple. If ATC have gone home, the lights will be pilot-controlled by clicking the PTT button a certain number of times. All very easy and much more civilised than our crappy UK system
FFF
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[Edit because, having re-read my post, it sounds like I'm trying to put people off getting the night qualification - which I'm not!!! Night flying is really beautiful, and it's a fantastic addition to your PPL. Just don't expect it to be all that useful though.]