Not sure I would consider this a date. Still it's superior to a phone call and more personal than a long texting session. With people who live say in a different city travelling to meet for say a walk is a time investement.

I've done it if someone lives farther away and you want to make sure you're not being Catfished, or checking to make sure the person isn't crazy. Sometimes women do it for the same reasons, or feel more comfortable after being able to look for red flags.

It's kinda crazy to think about how you would go from picture to texting to a date, VS meeting, smalltalk, date.