I am trying to find a way to call forward my local US telephone
(Verizon/AT&T)to an international number so that I can receive calls
when I am abroad. The
problem is that regular call forwarding will only accept a maximum of
10 digits. The international number is 15 digits when the country code
is included. I do not want to use VOIP if possible. Can anyone suggest
a way, or perhaps know of a device which I can forward to and then
will do the dialing for me?

crnr-ga:

According to AT&T customer service (800-222-0300), if you call them
and give them your telelphone number, they will set it up for you (for
a fee, I'd think).

If you are travelling only occasionally, that might be more suitable
than finding a special service/equipment for the purpose.  I'll
suggest testing out the service before you leave and have time enough
for a plan B if it doesn't work as you like.

Regards.

Even though you said you didn't want to use VOIP, taking a VOIP device
(www.vonage.com, http://www.packet8.net) with you abroad can give you
a local states number no matter where you are in the world, as long as
you can connect the device to broadband Internet where you travel. It
means the calls you make to the states are included in the price of
the service as well.

At $20-$25/month, it may not be unreasonable to consider.

I called AT&T again and they tell me flat out that they do not offer
any way to call forward to more than a 10 digit number. Thanks for the
comment though.

I had previously looked at VOIP but when you add in the cost of the
device, the monthly cost and the cost of the existing phone line it
all became a bit expensive. I am trying to keep the same phone number.
If I have to change numbers I might as well use a follow me number
such as available from http://www.aitelephone.com/followme.html and
many others like them for only about $1/month and 5 cents per minute.
Thanks again for the comment.