diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index abf6878fa..8b9787ab2 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ python:
 
 install:
     - time sudo apt-get update
-    - travis_retry sudo apt-get install python3-gobject python3-gi python3-cairo python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-pango gir1.2-gtk python3-bsddb3 xdg-utils librsvg2-common python3-dev libglib2.0-dev intltool python3-nose
-    - travis_retry pip install django
-    - travis_retry pip install pyicu
+    - travis_retry sudo apt-get install python3-gobject python3-gi python3-cairo python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-pango gir1.2-gtk python3-bsddb3 xdg-utils librsvg2-common python3-dev libglib2.0-dev intltool python3-nose python3-pip
+    - travis_retry pip3 install django
+    - travis_retry pip3 install pyicu
     - python setup.py build
 
 script:
-    -  DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=gramps.webapp.settings nosetests3 -v --exclude=TestcaseGenerator --exclude=exportvcard_test --exclude=plugins --exclude=vcard --exclude=merge_ref_test --exclude=test_util_test --exclude=gramps.webapp --exclude=test2_exec_CLI --exclude=widgets --exclude=gui --exclude=test3_files_in_import_dir --exclude=test_manual_run gramps
+    -  mkdir -p /home/travis/.gramps/grampsdb/
+    -  DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=gramps.webapp.settings nosetests3 --exclude=TestcaseGenerator --exclude=exportvcard_test --exclude=plugins --exclude=vcard --exclude=merge_ref_test --exclude=test_util_test --exclude=gramps.webapp --exclude=test2_exec_CLI --exclude=widgets --exclude=gui --exclude=test3_files_in_import_dir --exclude=test_manual_run gramps
 
diff --git a/gramps/cli/test/cli_test.py b/gramps/cli/test/cli_test.py
index 87f01322e..e36a747d2 100644
--- a/gramps/cli/test/cli_test.py
+++ b/gramps/cli/test/cli_test.py
@@ -105,7 +105,10 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
     # (eg cleanout stale files from prior crash-runs)
     def test3_files_in_import_dir(self):
         ddir = os.path.join(TEMP_DIR, "import_dbdir")
-        os.makedirs(ddir)
+        try:
+            os.makedirs(ddir)
+        except:
+            pass
         bogofiles = [os.path.join(ddir, fn) for fn in ("family.db", "lock")]
         for fn in bogofiles:
             with io.open(fn, "w") as f: