diff --git a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_download_data.py b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_download_data.py

index 93791c7..c65edb9 100644

--- a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_download_data.py

+++ b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_download_data.py

@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@

 def test_downloads():

     for downloader in (fetch_rrlyrae, fetch_rrlyrae_fitdata,

                        fetch_rrlyrae_templates, fetch_rrlyrae_lc_params):

-        data = downloader()

+        try:

+            data = downloader()

+        except (URLError, ConnectionError):

+            raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                           "data download test skipped")

         assert data is not None

diff --git a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

index 5cc8a12..1a089e2 100644

--- a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

+++ b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@

 def test_rrlyrae_lightcurves():

     for partial in [True, False]:

-        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=partial)

+        try:

+            rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=partial)

+        except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+            raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                           "data download test skipped")

         lcid = rrlyrae.ids[0]

         if not partial:

@@ -34,21 +38,33 @@ def test_rrlyrae_lightcurves():

 def test_bad_lcid():

-    rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    try:

+        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

     lcid = 'BAD_ID'

     assert_raises(ValueError, rrlyrae.get_lightcurve, lcid)

     assert_raises(ValueError, rrlyrae.get_metadata, lcid)

     assert_raises(ValueError, rrlyrae.get_obsmeta, lcid)

-    rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=True)

+    try:

+        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=True)

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

     assert_raises(ValueError, rrlyrae.get_lightcurve, rrlyrae.ids[0],

                   return_1d=False)

 def test_rrlyrae_pickle():

     for partial in [True, False]:

-        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=partial)

+        try:

+            rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae(partial=partial)

+        except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+            raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                           "data download test skipped")        

         s = pickle.dumps(rrlyrae)

         rrlyrae2 = pickle.loads(s)

@@ -58,7 +74,12 @@ def test_rrlyrae_pickle():

 def test_rrlyrae_templates():

-    templates = fetch_rrlyrae_templates()

+    try:

+        templates = fetch_rrlyrae_templates()

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

+

     filename = templates.filenames[0]

     tid = templates.ids[0]

     t = templates.get_template(tid)

diff --git a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

index abc4279..bbe18b4 100644

--- a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

+++ b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

@@ -3,7 +3,12 @@

 def test_rrlyrae_generated():

-    rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    try:

+        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

+

     lcid = rrlyrae.ids[100]

     gen = RRLyraeGenerated(lcid)

diff --git a/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py b/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

index bb85aa1..465f428 100644

--- a/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

+++ b/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

@@ -9,7 +9,12 @@

 def test_basic_template_model():

     template_id = 25

-    templates = fetch_rrlyrae_templates()

+    try:

+        templates = fetch_rrlyrae_templates()

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

+

     phase, y = templates.get_template(templates.ids[template_id])

     model = UnivariateSpline(phase, y, s=0, k=5)

@@ -38,7 +43,12 @@ def test_basic_template_model():

 def test_multiband_fit():

     # TODO: this is a long test.

     # We could artificially limit the number of templates to make it faster

-    rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    try:

+        rrlyrae = fetch_rrlyrae()

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

+

     t, y, dy, filts = rrlyrae.get_lightcurve(rrlyrae.ids[0])

     t = t[::10]

     y = y[::10]

@@ -63,4 +73,9 @@ def test_multiband_fit():

 def test_bad_args():

-    assert_raises(ValueError, RRLyraeTemplateModeler, filts='abc')

+    try:

+        assert_raises(ValueError, RRLyraeTemplateModeler, filts='abc')

+    except(URLError, ConnectionError):

+        raise SkipTest("No internet connection: "

+                       "data download test skipped")

+

diff --git a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

index 1a089e2..ae55220 100644

--- a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

+++ b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae.py

@@ -2,7 +2,16 @@

 import numpy as np

 from numpy.testing import assert_equal, assert_raises

 from .. import fetch_rrlyrae, fetch_rrlyrae_templates

-

+from nose import SkipTest

+

+try:

+    # Python 3

+    from urllib.error import URLError

+    ConnectionError = ConnectionResetError

+except ImportError:

+    # Python 2

+    from urllib2 import URLError

+    from socket import error as ConnectionError

 def test_rrlyrae_lightcurves():

     for partial in [True, False]:

diff --git a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

index bbe18b4..82cd976 100644

--- a/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

+++ b/gatspy/datasets/tests/test_rrlyrae_generated.py

@@ -1,6 +1,17 @@

 from numpy.testing import assert_equal

 from .. import RRLyraeGenerated, fetch_rrlyrae

+from nose import SkipTest

+

+try:

+    # Python 3

+    from urllib.error import URLError

+    ConnectionError = ConnectionResetError

+except ImportError:

+    # Python 2

+    from urllib2 import URLError

+    from socket import error as ConnectionError

+

 def test_rrlyrae_generated():

     try:

diff --git a/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py b/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

index 465f428..abda305 100644

--- a/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

+++ b/gatspy/periodic/tests/test_templates.py

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@

 import numpy as np

 from numpy.testing import assert_allclose, assert_raises

+from nose import SkipTest

+

+try:

+    # Python 3

+    from urllib.error import URLError

+    ConnectionError = ConnectionResetError

+except ImportError:

+    # Python 2

+    from urllib2 import URLError

+    from socket import error as ConnectionError

 from .. import RRLyraeTemplateModeler, RRLyraeTemplateModelerMultiband

 from ...datasets import fetch_rrlyrae_templates, fetch_rrlyrae