« I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim »...
Who said the whole point was not booking and who said booking a bed and being a pilgrim are mutually exclusive?
If you don’t want to book, don’t, and let the chips fall where they may. It’s not my cup of tea. Undue stress for me. I have no intention of 1) waking everyone in the albergue at 5 am so I can get a bed that night, 2) finish walking at noon to grab the first bed I find, 3) sleeping under a church porch and kill by back and put an early end to my walk just to be a purist.
To me the « whole point »is to walk, so I make sure I can, and that includes booking beds if and when necessary.
It of course puts a damper on spontaneity, and I don’t think it was even possible back in 2007 when I walked for the first time, but times have changed, Caminos are packed with people, and I am older and my joints cannot endure what they used to endure.
If walking to the next village to find a bed, regadless of how far that village may be, then go for it. If sleeping under the stars is something you are ok with, then go for it. But please don’t go thinking this is what the point is.