Not the horror story you might be expecting. We had this one flat on our 14,000 mile PA-AK-PA trip, discovered just after entering a campground along the Alaskan Highway. I had ditched the OEM compressor and goo in exchange for a compressor that could be used without the goo, added a plug kit, Gorilla Glue and various sizes of screws, and a can of Fix-a-Flat. The plug kit worked great and we are still driving that tire as-is with no loss of pressure. So we have no regrets of having made that trip sans-spare. Your experience may vary!
I find that plugs work very well and last as long as the tire. That's assuming it's not a blowout or a hole in the sidewall. Even in the sidewall, it should still get you to a tire shop. But a blowout is a real bummer. Only ever had one in almost 50 years of driving. Edit to add: That must have been a fantastic trip!!
