As parental stress goes, it must have been the equivalent of five gap years rolled into one.

Intrepid student Matt Birch spent just three weeks away from his worried family - but the problem was, he chose to go to Iraq just as the country's brutal former dictator was executed.

The war-torn country is dangerous enough, but few could have predicted Saddam Hussein's demise would coincide with Matt's visit.

The 23-year-old politics student and full-time bar manager, who now works at Southend's Mayhem nightclub, was blissfully unaware of it at the time.

It was just as well, for his short-lived foray across the Iraqi border was scary enough at one point to cause him to fall to his knees and pray for his safety.

His trip was initially planned to study how Christians celebrate the festive season in the troubled country.

It had been hastily planned and many, including officials at the Foreign Office, had warned against it.

But Matt, of High Road, Benfleet, was determined to see his "pipedream" through.

After raising £1,500 sponsorship for the trip, selling his car for £200 and putting "most of my worldly possessions on eBay", he was finally on his way.

But then fate stepped in, when fog delayed his departure from Heathrow.

He said: "I chose to fly to Istanbul and then use the once-weekly train to get across Turkey and into Syria in one go. Then I would travel to the Iraqi boarder by bus or train, returning on the same train a couple of weeks later to Istanbul.

"Due to the fog delay at Heathrow, I missed my connecting flight in Munich to Istanbul."

Matt, a peace and conflict studies student at London Metropolitan University, added: "Missing the train from Istanbul was a disaster and took a whole week out of my trip.

"I couldn't have got the flight home until January 8, so figured I'd make the most of it and see how far I could get, although it did mean travelling often massive distances each day and never stopping in the same place for more than a day.

"That meant I only got a whistle-stop insight into each of the towns and places I visited. It was also exhausting."

Finally, Matt found someone willing - for a fee - to take him into Iraq on a hair-raising journey under cover of darkness. But within a few hours of crossing the border, his jumpy hosts - two Iraqi Kurd brothers - bundled him into a car once more and turfed him out of the country.

Though he speaks some Arabic, Matt had been unable to interpret news bulletins about Saddam Hussein's impending hanging, which had heightened tensions in the country.

With the wisdom of hindsight, Matt admitted the trip to Iraq probably wasn't worth it.

He said: "The trip there was uneventful, as it was at night. It cost me a lot of money. I was only there 36 hours. I didn't get to see or experience much and it scared the hell out of me.

"I will visit Iraq again, but next time it will be for longer and with my own transport. Also, I will not go alone again."

Matt credits his safe arrival home with the very particular attention he paid to his personal security.

He added: "One night I was a complete wreck and nearly turned around and came home. I even got on my knees and prayed.

"I don't know if I found the resolve in myself, through the love and determination to see my family and friends again, or maybe even a little help from God, but after that night I never looked back again."

Despite the trauma of the journey, Matt said he was glad he went.

He said: "Unfortunately a field of interest such as mine cannot be experienced without a degree of danger. How can you simulate being shot at, or the look in a person's eyes when they fear for their life?

"I don't get a kick out of these things, and by no means would I choose to witness them, but for the work I want to do and the field I want to specialise in, I have to subject myself to such situations.

"We can't always go through life and get to where we want to be without taking a few risks."

Matt said one valuable aspect of his trip was that he was able to get an insight into what he was trying to research in other countries.

He said: "In the unfortunate detour via south-eastern Turkey, an area not largely visited by tourists, I found the whole situation of the Kurds and their quest for a country of their own fascinating. I also learnt a lot about Muslim/Christian relations and their feelings toward the West.

"The conflict between, not all, but a few Muslims and a few of us in the West, comes down to a conflict of civilisation.

"It's nothing to do with Muslims hating Christians - they do not, and live happily alongside one another. Christianity is recognised in the Koran and accepted."

Matt said he believed one of the best ways to improve relations between the religions was to demystify Islam.

He said: "We should ensure Islam is not a mystery to us and our children, so that they can better understand and be prepared for the world in which we now live.

"With the effects of globalisation, through travel, the internet and communications, we have effectively made the world a smaller place.

"In our rush to develop ourselves and our world, we forgot to stop and learn about the people and the new world we now live in.

"No amount of bullets or missiles will ever solve the problems we face in the Middle East. Only through education and careful investment can we hope to bring about peace and mutual prosperity."

Matt's mum, Jackie Warsap, said: "My mother's instinct told me he would be all right, but we were worried about him being there when Saddam Hussein was hanged.

"We tried to get a message to him but he was unable to get his email at that point.

"It's wonderful having him back and we were all there at the airport to welcome him."