I live in Toronto and subscribe to Rogers.  I've had a blackberry for a long time and have had to deal with Rogers on more than a few occasions.

1)
Simply turning off the data while you're away will solve the problem.  I usually turn the data off on my blackberry (8800) and turn it back on intermittently to check my mail.  This, combined with a laptop in the hotel room will keep you connected on the cheap.

If you're not sure how to turn off your data on your phone, reply with your blackberry model number and I'll give you instructions.

2)
Call Rogers - Tell them what's up.  If you're out of contract, threaten to leave.
Rogers has a $15 unlimited data package now and while that won't cover U.S. or international roaming, it might help you day-to-day.

3)
Call Rogers and ask them to sign you up for the "North American Plan".  This will get you a month of North American calling.  Just cancel it when you get back and return to your normal plan.  I've done this and it works well.

Rogers will of course try to hose you with rates though so make sure to read the fine print that starts here: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-network/international_roaming?cm_mmc=grdrt-_-all-_-en-_-roaming

4)
The last option is to purchase a local SIM card.  U.S. rates are much lower than in Canada and a prepaid sim card / account will cost you less if you plan on using your phone a lot.  Simply forward your Rogers number to your new number and Bob Mackenzie is your uncle.

5)
As a side note, at any time, you can call Rogers and ask them how much air and data you have consumed.  Often they'll call you back with the number because they have to look it up, but if you're nervous about data use it can be handy.  I've done this while in Europe and was pleasantly surprised with my usage.  They weren't able to give me the dollar amount I owed but they could tell me how much I used.

6)
Oh, one more tip... Vonage.
I travel a fair bit and have a Vonage account.  I use "Vonage Talk" - their online instant messenger to make real phone calls using my computer.  I just connect my bluetooth headset to my computer and make the voice call.  This works really well for calling home or taking care of personal stuff while on the road

Hope this helps SJackson!  Have a great trip.

I've also heard horror stories about this. People I know will do something like simply use Wifi connections with their laptops and access emails etc. through the internet. Most McDonalds and Panera Breads offer free wifi. I know it's one more thing to carry, but it could save you some money and other hassles related to having to trust the carrier to do what they'll tell you they'll do.

Oh, and then remember to turn off the data!

There are 4 solid ways to avoid data roaming costs on a Blackberry:

1. Turn Off Your Data When Roaming

2. Enable Email Filters

3. Disable Forwarding of an Email Account

4. Turn off Applications that Use Data

Turn Off Your Data When Roaming

The best way to minimize your bill is to turn off your data connection while roaming.

Do this by going to Options > Mobile Network > Data Services > “Off When Roaming”. The best thing about this feature is that as soon as your hit your home network your data services will re-connect automatically.

Enable Email Filters

If you need to send and receive a few emails from select family, friends, or co-workers, you can avoid receiving email from everyone else by setting up a simple filter.

To do this, log onto your BIS account via your carriers BIS website. Click on the filter button for the email address that you want to add a filter. You can now create a filter that will be applied when:

1. You receive a high-priority email
2. A person you have selected has sent the email
3. The subject of the email has contains a keyword you have selected
4. The message is directed or CC’ed to a name of your choosing

For each of these settings, you can choose whether you want that e-mail to be forwarded or not forwarded to your device.

http://www.blackberrynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/blackberry-news-minimize-data-roaming-2.gif

Disable Forwarding of an Email Account

Without turning off your data connection (thus allowing you to use the internet), you can disable the forwarding of all email to one of the addresses associated with your BIS account.

To do this, log onto your carriers BIS website, select the email account you’d like to stop being forwarded, and select “Do not forward messages to device”.

http://www.blackberrynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/blackberry-news-minimize-data-roaming-3.gif

Turn Off Applications that Use Data

A lot of BlackBerry applications use data behind the scenes to bring you things such as news feeds, weather, and more. And because a lot of these things can be quite data intensive, its important to make sure that only the programs that you desire to use while roaming are able to connect to the data network.

To stop a program from using data go to Options > Advanced Options > Applications > highlight the application you wish to stop from using data and hit Menu > Edit Permissions > highlight “Connections” and hit Menu > Change Option and click on “Deny”.  Now hit back and click on save

My company Cellhire (http://www.cellhire.com) will rent you an International Blackberry for the duration of your trip which provides reasonable call rates throughout the world. The Blackberry can be synched up to your company's BES to provide a seamless transition and you can also have your normal Blackberry number forwarded so friends and colleagues don't need to remember a new number.

Cellhire is a long-established telecoms firm and we are happy to discuss individual requirements or concerns. We can even put alerts in place to warn you if spend does become high. Our goal is a contented customer and we are fully aware that reduce roaming costs is the number one concern of many travellers.

Hope this helps.