Practical Information for visiting New Jersey

Coverage and broadband are excellent almost everywhere — this is one of the most densely connected states in the country.

Signal drops in parts of the Pine Barrens and the northwest hills, which matters if you are driving the sand roads.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, libraries, hotels and many boardwalk areas.

New Jersey is safe for visitors. Some of the older industrial cities have neighbourhoods with higher crime, and they are not areas a visitor would have reason to enter.

Ordinary precautions apply: lock the car and leave nothing visible at a beach or trailhead car park.

Rip currents are the genuine hazard, particularly on the swell ahead of a distant hurricane. Swim at guarded beaches during guarded hours; many beaches are unguarded outside the summer season.

Driving is the other real risk. The Turnpike and Parkway are fast, heavily used and unforgiving in rain.

No vaccinations are needed and tap water is safe.

Ticks are widespread from spring to late autumn and Lyme disease is common throughout the state, including in suburban gardens. Check after any time in grass or woodland.

Greenhead flies on the salt marshes are genuinely fierce in July, and mosquitoes follow through late summer.

Poison ivy is widespread in the Pine Barrens. Healthcare is excellent and expensive; insurance covering medical costs is essential for non-US visitors.

You cannot pump your own petrol in New Jersey. It is the only state where self-service is illegal — stay in the car, say what you want, and tipping the attendant is not expected.

Tipping is otherwise expected: 18-20% in restaurants and bars.

Most beaches require a paid badge in season, checked on the sand, and they are sold by the town rather than the state.

Right turns on red are permitted after stopping unless signed. Some towns are dry and sell no alcohol at all, though several let you bring your own to a restaurant. The drinking age is 21.

911 reaches police, fire and ambulance statewide.

Major trauma centres are in the northern cities, in the capital area and in the southwest near Philadelphia. The state is small and densely served, so nowhere is far from care.

211 is the statewide information and assistance line.

Coastal evacuation routes are signposted throughout the shore counties, and towns issue their own orders when a hurricane threatens. The Coast Guard covers the offshore waters and the bays.