I really enjoy the "play to find out what happens" nature of an old school RPG session and campaign. Much of the "sandbox', open world concept must come as a result of the decisions players make during the game. Referee planning is not missing from this style of play, however. The referee needs to spend preparation time thinking about various aspects of the setting, including what random encounters may occur. Rolling for a random result on various tables in order to react to player decisions, or to fill in a map area, or to see what appears on the path ahead, can be great fun for the prepared referee and in turn, for their players.
Thinking ahead, random tables need to be prepared in advance and they need to be campaign specific. Customizing the random events and wandering monster tables is, to my mind, an absolute must. The only way to be prepared as a referee and to ensure that the setting works off a consistent theme and will reasonably hang together as a believable world, is to tailor each entry on every random table specifically to that setting. Include only things that make sense and promise fun play. By choosing each entry, and giving some thought as to how rolling that result might play out at the table, the referee is actually preparing for the session without scripting or "railroading" a plot. When the random result comes up, the referee won't be caught at a loss for how to blend the encounter or event into the developing story (at least most of the time they won't).
Don't forget about the non-player characters. Adding a few tables for encountering interesting NPCs can really bring the campaign to life. Reaction tables will help determine the initial disposition of the encountered creature, but this is often just the beginning and role-play then ensues. When viewed as an opportunity for role-playing, the random encounter takes on a life of its own and may end up as one of the most memorable and talked about aspects of the entire session.
Open world play can be very rewarding for players and referee alike, but referee improvising does not mean zero preparation. There are elements of any session that must be improvised, but running the whole thing "on the fly" can mean lots of stressful work for the referee and detract from the verisimilitude for players, especially if they realize their referee is "making it all up as they go". Rolling on encounter tables and interpreting the result adds an element of chance and unpredictability, and can be done in a manageable and rewarding way. Preparation and forethought are required.
Taking random developments into consideration, and combining them with comments and known inclinations/preferences of the players, a diligent referee can adjust then their setting during campaign play so that the game becomes a living, evolving thing, both specific to the player characters and surprisingly random. Players will likely become more invested and engaged and eager to find out what comes next, and the the referee will be entertained. It's a recipe for successful fun.
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