People often travel overseas to earn the big bucks. For many Americans, the opportunity to earn a substantial income overseas, in particular the mid-east has attracted thousands to lucrative contractor jobs. Many have left their homes and families (often for several years) for the opportunity to make lots of money.

Currently the big drive is the lure of high paying jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Regardless of your perspective of the issues, there are certainly jobs to be had and money to be made. Lots of it. I'm one of those contractors. I left my cushy job back home, for such an opportunity. I was fortunate that I was able to secure a job working on a program that I'm already familiar with. I already knew some of the people, so the transition wasn't so bad.

For many, the opportunity to make the big bucks means traveling to a strange and dangerous place, meeting new people and living in a harsh environment. For most people, it often means living in a tent with up to 30 other people and if they're lucky, going on a waiting list to get a room in a trailer; a room that you share with a roommate or two. Oh, and you may or may not have a "wet trailer" meaning a bathroom/shower inside of your trailer. Many of the folks must walk to a bathroom trailer and if it's during the rainy period, count on walking through mud.

If you're into camping and the spirit of adventure, then you would love this environment. If you don't, then you either learn to "deal with it" or you'll hate life until you leave. It's a trade off for the money to be made and many simply deal with it for years.

In my case, the situation wasn't so bad and I adjusted fairly quickly, although I could never stop thinking, "their's got to be a better way". How can I make this type of money without living in Iraq? Better yet, how can I achieve the same results back home in my own house and be with my family?

Actually, I knew the answer to this question but never pursued it. For years I've dreamed of owning an online business. I wanted to be able to run a business from the comfort of my home with the potential for an unlimited income. I also wanted the flexibility to run my business from anywhere in the world. Thus, I could be traveling in Europe and as long as I had an Internet connection, I could still run my business. What's unique about this is since it is an Internet business I can operate it while still working in Iraq. What other business can you do that?

Now that I've finally buckled down and am pursuing my dream, I'm beginning to see significant results. No longer will I need to live abroad to generate the income that I'm looking for but from the comfort of my own home. When the time comes and I've met my goal, I'll leave this place.

Working from home over the Internet isn't a new idea or even a fad that's just now catching on. People have been making a comfortable living working for themselves at home or even while traveling for a long time now. You certainly don't have to travel to the mid-east to make a comfortable income.

The industry that I'm referring to is affiliate marketing. Basically affiliate marketing is an arrangement between the affiliate merchant and you. You are probably already aware of one of the largest affiliate marketers on the Internet, Amazon.com. There are numerous affiliate programs and web sites designed to help you succeed as an affiliate marketer. The beauty of this is you can operate this business from your home with an unlimited income potential. Some of the benefits are:

- A passive income stream. Meaning you still earn sales even while off line. Once a customer has visited your site or affiliate link everything is automated. Your job is to get the customer to the site and once you've done this, the customer will often return to purchase additional products. Furthermore any efforts on your part will often result in sales, weeks or months later.

- Pre-built sales materials. Most affiliate programs provide various images and templates for you to use on your site, or you can link to a pre-built affiliate site. Once you sign up for one of these programs, all the material that you would need are provided for you. When a customer decides to purchase a product from your affiliate link, all the processing is handled by the merchant. They calculate your percentage and (depending on the merchant) will send you either a monthly check or a check once you've met a certain dollar value.

- High commissions: Depending on the merchant, the commissions will vary, but are often considered high. The merchants are willing to do this, as many businesses (even established) are still trying to get a foot-hold on Internet commerce. Paying you a little extra for business that you've send their way, will certainly pay off in the end.

I can't think of a better opportunity to generate essentially an unlimited income than from affiliate marketing. It provides the freedom to develop your business from anywhere in the world. You certainly don't need to go to the mid-east for the big bucks. You can earn it from the comfort of your own home.