diff --git a/travis/git_submodule_update.py b/travis/git_submodule_update.py
index f5b582f6643..c3e0299249c 100755
--- a/travis/git_submodule_update.py
+++ b/travis/git_submodule_update.py
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@
 os.system('git submodule init')
 
 for sub in Repo('.').submodules:
-    if sub.path not in private_repos:
+    print "Getting submodule %s" % sub.path
+    use_archive = sub.path not in private_repos
+    if use_archive:
         url = sub.url
         if url.startswith('git@github.com:'):
             url = url.replace('git@github.com:', 'https://github.com/')
@@ -31,11 +33,24 @@
             url = url[:-4]
         archive_url = "%s/archive/%s.zip" % (url, sub.hexsha)
         urlretrieve(archive_url, ZIP_PATH)
-        with zipfile.ZipFile(ZIP_PATH) as zf:
-            zf.extractall(DL_DIR)
-        os.remove(ZIP_PATH)
-        os.removedirs(sub.path)
-        submodule_dir = os.listdir(DL_DIR)[0]
-        shutil.move(os.path.join(DL_DIR, submodule_dir), sub.path)
-    else:
+        try:
+            with zipfile.ZipFile(ZIP_PATH) as zf:
+                zf.extractall(DL_DIR)
+        except zf.BadZipfile:
+            # fall back to standard download
+            use_archive = False
+            with open(ZIP_PATH) as f:
+                print ("Getting archive failed with error %s. Falling back to "
+                       "git clone." % f.read())
+            os.remove(ZIP_PATH)
+        except Exception as e:
+            use_archive = False
+            print ("Getting archive failed with error %s. Falling back to "
+                   "git clone." % e.message)
+        else:
+            os.remove(ZIP_PATH)
+            os.removedirs(sub.path)
+            submodule_dir = os.listdir(DL_DIR)[0]
+            shutil.move(os.path.join(DL_DIR, submodule_dir), sub.path)
+    if not use_archive:
         os.system('git submodule update %s' % sub.path)