Pilgrim Refuges
The John Breirley guide gives a good description of the different types of labergues - Municipal, Church, sponsored, private etc.
Generally, the municipal, church or sponsored refuges are meant to be for walking, cycling or pilgrims on horseback. Private albergues or Youth Hostels are open to anyone.
The pilgrim passport (credential) is a passport to getting beds in the pilgrim's refuges. It is stamped at each albergue but you can also get it stamped at hotels, cafe bars, museums, churches etc.
If you intend using transport between towns, rather book into an inn or pension that day and leave the beds to the walking pilgrims.
You can order a pilgrim passport before you leave for Spain from Mundicamino. You can either contact them directly or I could send you the application form. It is in Spanish but easy to understand.
They charge 3 Euro for local postage, 4 Euro for the rest of Europe and 10 Europe for the rest of the world.
You can either put the money into an envelope concealed in dark paper so that it can't be identified, or they will open an account for you to use electronic payment.
