diff --git a/.ci/travis/linux/before_install.sh b/.ci/travis/linux/before_install.sh
index c654953ac3b..c9bded6cb42 100755
--- a/.ci/travis/linux/before_install.sh
+++ b/.ci/travis/linux/before_install.sh
@@ -13,5 +13,4 @@
 #                                                                         #
 ###########################################################################
 
-
 #pip3 install termcolor
diff --git a/.ci/travis/linux/before_script.sh b/.ci/travis/linux/before_script.sh
index 06ff7e441ce..3c3b1abd94e 100755
--- a/.ci/travis/linux/before_script.sh
+++ b/.ci/travis/linux/before_script.sh
@@ -19,13 +19,14 @@ pushd .docker
 
 echo "travis_fold:start:travis_env"
 echo "${bold}${endbold}"
-echo "TRAVIS_BRANCH $TRAVIS_BRANCH"
-echo "TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE $TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE"
-echo "DOCKER_TAG $DOCKER_TAG"
-echo "DOCKER_DEPS_PUSH $DOCKER_DEPS_PUSH"
-echo "DOCKER_DEPS_IMAGE_REBUILD $DOCKER_DEPS_IMAGE_REBUILD"
-echo "DOCKER_QGIS_IMAGE_BUILD_PUSH $DOCKER_QGIS_IMAGE_BUILD_PUSH"
-echo "QGIS_LAST_BUILD_SUCCESS $QGIS_LAST_BUILD_SUCCESS"
+echo "TRAVIS_BRANCH: $TRAVIS_BRANCH"
+echo "TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE: $TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE"
+echo "DOCKER_TAG: $DOCKER_TAG"
+echo "DOCKER_DEPS_PUSH: $DOCKER_DEPS_PUSH"
+echo "DOCKER_DEPS_IMAGE_REBUILD: $DOCKER_DEPS_IMAGE_REBUILD"
+echo "DOCKER_QGIS_IMAGE_BUILD_PUSH: $DOCKER_QGIS_IMAGE_BUILD_PUSH"
+echo "QGIS_LAST_BUILD_SUCCESS: $QGIS_LAST_BUILD_SUCCESS"
+echo "TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP: $TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP"
 echo "travis_fold:end:travis_env"
 
 
diff --git a/.ci/travis/linux/docker-build-test.sh b/.ci/travis/linux/docker-build-test.sh
index 7aa5cd69c2d..761810d1453 100755
--- a/.ci/travis/linux/docker-build-test.sh
+++ b/.ci/travis/linux/docker-build-test.sh
@@ -59,11 +59,31 @@ echo "travis_fold:end:cmake"
 #######
 # Build
 #######
+# Calculate the timeout for building.
+# The tests should be aborted before travis times out, in order to allow uploading
+# the ccache and therefore speedup subsequent e builds.
+#
+# Travis will kill the job after approx 90 minutes, we subtract 8 minutes for
+# uploading and subtract the bootstrapping time from that.
+# Hopefully clocks are in sync :)
+TRAVIS_TIME=90
+UPLOAD_TIME=8
+CURRENT_TIME=`date +%s`
+TIMEOUT=$(expr \( ${TRAVIS_TIME} - ${UPLOAD_TIME} \) \* 60 - ${CURRENT_TIME} + ${TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP})
+TIMEOUT=$(( ${TIMEOUT} < 300 ? 300 : ${TIMEOUT} ))
+echo "Timeout: ${TIMEOUT}s (started at ${TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP}, current: ${CURRENT_TIME})"
+
 # echo "travis_fold:start:ninja-build.1"
 echo "${bold}Building QGIS...${endbold}"
-${CTEST_BUILD_COMMAND}
+timeout ${TIMEOUT}s ${CTEST_BUILD_COMMAND}
 # echo "travis_fold:end:ninja-build.1"
 
+rv=$?
+if [ $rv -eq 124 ] ; then
+    printf '\n\n${bold}Build and test timeout. Please restart the build for meaningful results.${endbold}\n'
+    exit #$rv
+fi
+
 # Temporarily uncomment to debug ccache issues
 # echo "travis_fold:start:ccache-debug"
 # cat /tmp/cache.debug
diff --git a/.docker/docker-compose.travis.yml b/.docker/docker-compose.travis.yml
index cd94a0c510a..4a8207e1c96 100644
--- a/.docker/docker-compose.travis.yml
+++ b/.docker/docker-compose.travis.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,6 @@ services:
       - TRAVIS_OS_NAME=${TRAVIS_OS_NAME}
       - TRAVIS_CONFIG=${TRAVIS_CONFIG}
       - TRAVIS=${TRAVIS}
+      - TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP=${TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP}
       - QGIS_DISABLE_MESSAGE_HOOKS=1
       - QGIS_NO_OVERRIDE_IMPORT=1
-
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 49663660635..bb838016868 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ matrix:
         # on cron job, QGIS image is built and push without testing
         - DOCKER_QGIS_IMAGE_BUILD_PUSH=$( [[ $TRAVIS_REPO_SLUG =~ qgis/QGIS ]] && [[ $TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE =~ cron ]] && echo "true" || echo "false" )
         - QGIS_LAST_BUILD_SUCCESS=true # TODO use API to know if last build succeed https://developer.travis-ci.com/resource/builds
+        - TRAVIS_TIMESTAMP=$(date +%s)
         - CCACHE_DIR=${HOME}/.ccache
       dist: trusty
       sudo: false