As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to take on the Dallas Cowboys in their highly anticipated home opener, fans are being urged to have a travel game plan in place.

With early tailgaters and tens of thousands of fans descending on Lincoln Financial Field, traffic and parking could be a major headache.

The Eagles issued a travel advisory for Thursday's game, announcing that all parking lots will open at 1:30 p.m., earlier than usual. This came before FanDuel agreed to sponsor SEPTA sport express service for the team's season opener.

Fans are encouraged to carpool and to consolidate tailgate setups so more vehicles can fit into the available spaces.

The South Philadelphia Sports Complex offers 21,000 parking spots, including 2,000 at Lincoln Financial Field, but those could fill quickly with more fans opting to drive due to SEPTA uncertainty.

Though a sponsor has stepped up to fund express SEPTA trains for the Eagles vs. Cowboys game, confusion around recent service cuts has already pushed many fans to make alternate plans.

Damien O'Brien, visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina, said he's still hoping to take SEPTA, but plans to leave well before kickoff.

"We plan on getting up early, try to get here 2, 3 o'clock, tailgate a little bit," O'Brien said. "We're going to attempt to do it through the SEPTA, fight that process, get here early, see if we can get a head start on beating the crowds."

For drivers not parking at the stadium, FDR Park is an option, but it's not free. Parking costs $50 for cars and $100 for oversized vehicles.

"I think you should arrive as early as you can get," Eagles fan David Philbeck Jr., from Charlotte, North Carolina, said. "Parking is going to be expensive, terrible. It's going to be hard."

Some fans are paying to park in homeowners' private driveways near the stadium, while others are using the Live! Casino & Hotel South Philadelphia parking garage.

Married couple Mike and Amber O'Connor, visiting from Phoenix, reserved an Uber ahead of time, but even that took some planning.

"We didn't know if the game would go into overtime," Amber O'Connor said. "So I booked the pickup about four hours after kickoff."

Between traffic, transit changes and packed lots, Eagles fans are planning to treat travel as part of the game day experience.

"It's going to be pretty packed," Mike O'Connor said. "It's going to be a madhouse. Just be safe."