The Private Pilot License is the first ICAO license one obtains. The license as is will permit you to fly the kind of ubiquitous airplane one associates with "private" flying, i.e. approximately a single-engine 4-seater that flies about 700 miles nonstop at give-or-take 120 miles per hour. Some aircraft go a lot faster (i.e. 160), and a very few a bit slower (i.e. 100).
What can you do with that license? In essence, it is the perfect vehicle to easily go and visit places within a day that previously took two days to do. Here in the Long Island, NY area, day-trips to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard or Block Island come to mind.
Having said that, it is also necessary to point out that it is not a particularly reliable way of traveling if you have to get to your appointment at your destination. This license by itself does not permit you to fly in the clouds, in "bad" weather (and "bad" is not an amorphous & malleable term; it is clearly defined by where your route is), fly in ice, and in or close to thunderstorms. Unless you live in areas that have predictably good weather for long stretches of time, the PPL-as-is is the perfect way for a leisurely weekend, but not much more.
The way I teach your pilot's license focuses on SAFETY! I know the competitive spirit that some people are driven by, and unfortunately instead of focusing on the task at hand, the student's thoughts turn into a "Will I solo by the 12th hour? target." When you soloed is irrelevant. Relevant is that you become a safe and competent pilot.
The FARs (Federal Aviation Regulations) are very specific about what needs to be taught prior to your going solo. If these conditions are not met, you cannot be signed off to fly solo. If whenever you show up to fly the winds run along the runway, you will not have been taught and you will not have experienced cross-wind landings; hence we have not fulfilled all the legal obligations to go solo, and I would have forfeited by fiduciary duties to keep you safe, if I let you!
I go further than that; we will typically have had one or two cross country flights (cross-country being a flight where distances among airports exceed 50 nautical miles) prior to your solo flight. The reason is simple: Imagine you are on your first solo-flight, and as you want to land an aircraft just ahead of you just blew a tire when he landed. That aircraft veered off, and somehow got stuck half on and half off the runway. Clearing the sole runway will take easily an hour - it is an uncontrolled airport and no-one is around - so you better have the option of knowing where the next airport for you to go is, and how to get there.
Beyond the knowledge and the discipline of flying, don't overlook its beauty! I remember one morning when Bob & I (Bob is a good old friend) had to fly an empty Citation from White Plains, NY to Providence, RI to pick up customers to go to the Caribbean. We took off in the dark, and reaching 17,000 feet 5 minutes into the flight the sun had risen from our vantage point. Descending into Providence not quite 30 minutes later, the sun sank beyond the horizon, too, and we witnessed our second glorious sun-rise of the day from the ground.
Whatever we do in flying, let us keep it safe & beautiful - we owe it to each other. When you fly your friends and family, you'll owe it to them, too.
