diff --git a/src/bitmessagemain.py b/src/bitmessagemain.py
index 4a27f967..9280c947 100755
--- a/src/bitmessagemain.py
+++ b/src/bitmessagemain.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The PyBitmessage startup script
 import os
 import sys
 
-app_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+app_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(unicode(__file__)))
 os.chdir(app_dir)
 sys.path.insert(0, app_dir)
 
diff --git a/src/class_sqlThread.py b/src/class_sqlThread.py
index 84188408..2188a9cc 100644
--- a/src/class_sqlThread.py
+++ b/src/class_sqlThread.py
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ class sqlThread(threading.Thread):
     def run(self):  # pylint: disable=too-many-locals, too-many-branches, too-many-statements
         """Process SQL queries from `.helper_sql.sqlSubmitQueue`"""
         helper_sql.sql_available = True
-        self.conn = sqlite3.connect(state.appdata + 'messages.dat')
+        self.conn = sqlite3.connect(
+            os.path.join(state.appdata, 'messages.dat'))
         self.conn.text_factory = str
         self.cur = self.conn.cursor()
 
diff --git a/src/namecoin.py b/src/namecoin.py
index ae2bde79..4a6cf8d5 100644
--- a/src/namecoin.py
+++ b/src/namecoin.py
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@ Namecoin queries
 import base64
 import httplib
 import json
-import os
 import socket
 import sys
 
 import defaults
+import paths
 import tr  # translate
 from addresses import decodeAddress
 from bmconfigparser import BMConfigParser
@@ -267,34 +267,6 @@ class namecoinConnection(object):
             raise Exception("Socket error in RPC connection: %s" % exc)
 
 
-def lookupNamecoinFolder():
-    """
-    Look up the namecoin data folder.
-
-    .. todo:: Check whether this works on other platforms as well!
-    """
-
-    app = "namecoin"
-    from os import path, environ
-    if sys.platform == "darwin":
-        if "HOME" in environ:
-            dataFolder = path.join(os.environ["HOME"],
-                                   "Library/Application Support/", app) + '/'
-        else:
-            print(
-                "Could not find home folder, please report this message"
-                " and your OS X version to the BitMessage Github."
-            )
-            sys.exit()
-
-    elif "win32" in sys.platform or "win64" in sys.platform:
-        dataFolder = path.join(environ["APPDATA"], app) + "\\"
-    else:
-        dataFolder = path.join(environ["HOME"], ".%s" % app) + "/"
-
-    return dataFolder
-
-
 def ensureNamecoinOptions():
     """
     Ensure all namecoin options are set, by setting those to default values
@@ -313,7 +285,7 @@ def ensureNamecoinOptions():
     # Try to read user/password from .namecoin configuration file.
     defaultUser = ""
     defaultPass = ""
-    nmcFolder = lookupNamecoinFolder()
+    nmcFolder = paths.lookupUserconfigDir('namecoin')
     nmcConfig = nmcFolder + "namecoin.conf"
     try:
         nmc = open(nmcConfig, "r")
diff --git a/src/paths.py b/src/paths.py
index e2f8c97e..cb847f37 100644
--- a/src/paths.py
+++ b/src/paths.py
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ def lookupExeFolder():
             # targetdir/Bitmessage.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitmessage
             os.path.dirname(sys.executable).split(os.path.sep)[0] + os.path.sep
             if frozen == "macosx_app" else
-            os.path.dirname(sys.executable) + os.path.sep)
+            os.path.dirname(sys.executable).decode(
+                sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore') + os.path.sep)
     elif __file__:
         exeFolder = os.path.dirname(__file__) + os.path.sep
     else:
@@ -31,44 +32,63 @@ def lookupExeFolder():
     return exeFolder
 
 
+def lookupUserconfigDir(appname):
+    """Lookup user data directory for the *appname* application"""
+    try:
+        from appdirs import user_config_dir
+        return user_config_dir(appname, False, roaming=True) + os.path.sep
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
+
+    if sys.platform == 'darwin':
+        try:
+            dataFolder = os.path.join(
+                os.environ['HOME'],
+                "Library/Application Support/", appname) + '/'
+        except KeyError:
+            sys.exit(
+                "Could not find home folder, please report this message"
+                " and your OS X version to the BitMessage Github.")
+    elif sys.platform.startswith('win'):
+        dataFolder = os.path.join(
+            os.environ['APPDATA'], appname
+        ).decode(sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore') + os.path.sep
+    else:
+        dataFolder = os.path.join(
+            os.environ['HOME'], '.%s' % appname) + os.path.sep
+
+    return dataFolder
+
+
 def lookupAppdataFolder():
     """Returns path of the folder where application data is stored"""
     APPNAME = "PyBitmessage"
+
     dataFolder = os.environ.get('BITMESSAGE_HOME')
     if dataFolder:
         if dataFolder[-1] not in (os.path.sep, os.path.altsep):
             dataFolder += os.path.sep
-    elif sys.platform == 'darwin':
-        try:
-            dataFolder = os.path.join(
-                os.environ['HOME'],
-                'Library/Application Support/', APPNAME
-            ) + '/'
+        return dataFolder
 
-        except KeyError:
-            sys.exit(
-                'Could not find home folder, please report this message'
-                ' and your OS X version to the BitMessage Github.')
-    elif 'win32' in sys.platform or 'win64' in sys.platform:
-        dataFolder = os.path.join(
-            os.environ['APPDATA'].decode(
-                sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore'), APPNAME
-        ) + os.path.sep
-    else:
+    dataFolder = lookupUserconfigDir(APPNAME)
+    # Try to follow XDG spec on Linux, Unix or BSD
+    # TODO: use pyxdg
+    if os.name == 'posix' and sys.platform != 'darwin':
         try:
-            dataFolder = os.path.join(os.environ['XDG_CONFIG_HOME'], APPNAME)
+            datadir = os.path.join(os.environ['XDG_CONFIG_HOME'], APPNAME)
         except KeyError:
-            dataFolder = os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], '.config', APPNAME)
+            datadir = os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], '.config', APPNAME)
 
         # Migrate existing data to the proper location
         # if this is an existing install
         try:
-            move(os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], '.%s' % APPNAME), dataFolder)
+            move(dataFolder, datadir)
+            dataFolder = datadir + os.path.sep
             logger.info('Moving data folder to %s', dataFolder)
         except IOError:
             # Old directory may not exist.
             pass
-        dataFolder = dataFolder + os.path.sep
+
     return dataFolder